Never Say Never
by Knight Watcher
Summary: Sequel to Just Like You. Time travel is only the beginning as friends and foes across history converge to threaten all.
1. Daybreak

S/N: Time has passed since the conclusion of Just Like You yet for all the happiness that fills their lives, the adventures & struggles never end...

* * *

"John!"

The last he can recall her shouting his name like that was when that building blew up with him inside after flushing her using a blast from his ring, but these days when not busy looking after her, he was busy as a man of the community in Dakota. He and Shayera took up residence there in the months following Near 09. The community was surprisingly welcoming, but of course the chance to have even former costumed heroes in the area was nice especially as John's only acquaintance in Dakota is one Virgil Hawkins. The same Virgil that 'moonlights' as Static, but even he had been hesitant to the role after what happen with John and the others in the past yet he had a change of heart or mind when seeing what happen during the Near 09 news segments.

John winces in pain as her grip hurts like hell, but she's giving birth today or at least it appears so what else is there to do in that situation. They were on their way to an engagement party when she starts flustering that it is time and of course he thinks she meant they had to get going, but what she really meant after shaking him several times was she getting close to birthing their first child. He stays with her in the back of the vehicle at the time as Virgil drives though he has his license now fortunately. She is told to breathe in and out, to stay calm, and of course by the time they get her into a hospital bed, they have to start being quick about this since humans have never delivered a child born from a Thanagarian.

Virgil contacts the Watchers to alert them to the situation so of course J'onn insists on transferring her to the nearest Watchers' medical facility. The Watchers operate in a way very similar to the disbanded Outsiders insofar as being decentralized with the numbers, but a number of high level facilities are maintained just the same. Once stable to teleport, the three of them are at the Watchers Medical Facility in Gotham, which had been paid for and funded by various philanthropists including Bruce Wayne.

She grips his hand again and he really winces this time. It did not hurt as much as having his Lantern ring hand injured twice in three years, but still hurts just the same. She had been in labor for most of the day and John did not dare asking how long it could take since there is no way to guess even for her as there is no definite time frame reference. The word got around that she was in labor for real this time so many had come to see this event because it is the first child born to their extended 'family' since before Near 09. John pats her down with a damp cloth and occasionally tries to give her some water. The night is a long one and even into the next day as well yet sure enough by the early hours of morning there is a breathing, healthy bundle of joy resting in Shayera's arms, one that she been entirely inseparable from the moment she saw his eyes.

He had her eyes yet his skin looks closer to his father though of course they clean him up before bringing him back over to her. The two are almost fencing over a name until he says Rex and she says Wallace, but of course he understands why she said that name. They decide to name him Warren, which is not really a combination of the names, but he does know that he was close with both Wally and Rex before their deaths. Rex had died during their time together in the Marines and he did not care to recount Wally's death much as the sight had taken him back to the way that Rex died years before that death on that particular lawn.

It was only after Near 09 that they all finally pulled together to formally attend a naming of a park in his honor in Central City that they collectively mourned the anniversary of his passing except in the tradition of a wake they told stories about him. It was also the day that little Cassandra got to meet her 'cousin' if one likes to think of that way. Shayera comments to Barbara about how big Cassandra is now compared to the last time she had seen her, which was when Shayera had been entering the last third of her pregnancy. She also notices that Barbara is again with child and makes a comment to Barbara about Dick not being able to keep his hands off.

"What can you say when a man loves you that much?"

"Guess Cassandra will have to get used to having a sibling in a couple of months."

"She'll probably love yet boss him or her around eventually."

"They do that don't they?"

"I would guess, but Dick is the only of the two of us to kind of have that experience."

"Yep being an older 'brother' to Tim would be a sign of this."

"So what's the little guy's name?"

"We named him Warren… for Wallace… for Wally and for Rex."

"Who is Rex?"

"He was an old buddy of mine in the Marines, he passed away long ago just before I became a Lantern. A great guy, I never thought I would ever be that close in terms of a friend until we all got teamed up together when J'onn arrived on Earth to help us with the Invaders."

"I heard about Wally from Dick, I heard a lot about the Titans too, but for me as a kid it was always hearing about Batman and later seeing Robin that first night I went out as Batgirl though I was pretending to be Batman to rally the crowd to show them that Dad wasn't crooked."

"Yeah, Gil Mason was working with Two-Face to corner the crime and the cops by eliminating all the competition, but Babs, I can tell you she surprised the heck out of me even though we didn't know it was each other for a long time."

"When we did learn it was when Dick quit being Robin and I ended up taking his spot more or less in the duo until Tim came along, that mess involved Two-Face as well."

"Anyway enough shop talk, let's see what those delightful children are up to shall we?"

Cassandra and Warren are in the sandbox together just as Oliver and Dinah happen along smiling at them. Dinah kneels down taking note of how like his mother Warren looks and he is even got his mother's signature grip when he pulls at Oliver's fingers when Queen tries to shake the little guy's hand. Clark and Lois are also here and people are likewise kind in awe of her now somewhere in the middle of the first third of her pregnancy. Oliver and Clark talk awhile as the latter relates the joys of farming to the somewhat more adventurous archer.

"It seems like a lot of us are becoming parents now or getting married."

"Lois is literally glowing if you understand that."

"The house was in a glee worthy mood when she got the call."

"I was fairly surprised myself even with some residual you know."

"Surprises are nice even when things are good like this."

"I know I upset them all in particular with a certain decision in the past."

"They know you are yet forgiving is the only way to really move on otherwise it's the bad memories that will hold us back."

"So how are you in the way of making a family with Dinah if that's what you two want?"

"She found out she was pregnant during our stay in Galway. Twins if you can believe that."

"Congratulations."

"It is all we know for now, and sometimes it is better to keep some level of mystery."

"Part of the charm, part of the love with them," continues Clark.

"Fortunately nobody has tried calling me Cupid yet."

"I wouldn't count it Ollie," says Dinah.

"A lot of expecting mothers around here today."

"Well we owe that delightful wonder to the men that love us right Smallville," comments Lois.

"Hello Dinah."

"You are starting to show a little Lane."

"I hear you are expecting too."

"You seen Shayera's boy yet?"

"No is that him over there with Cassandra?"

"Yep that's him."

Lois and Dinah go over to Barbara and Shayera. However attention turns to people noticing Donna and Roy enter together, which is somewhat unexpected to some given how everyone went their separate ways before their own little odyssey unless they were with someone beforehand. Dick had almost seen that one coming given how interested she was in what Roy was up to before the massive team up, but whatever was going on with them, he was sure Donna could handle herself fine. Diana came in next and some of the women did tend to gravitate to her eventually as nobody had seen her in a long time either plus the rock on her finger got their attention. Bruce is much more discrete in slipping into the area, but a certain grin on his face made clear something unexpected was happening for him and for Diana.

Linda Park was also on the scene covering how the heroes of Near 09 were celebrating the mantle of the Flash as Central City had come to welcome the newest Flash, the mysterious female that had come one day to say she was taking over for the previous one. The city had not exactly welcomed her from the start yet they had come to see that she was intent on living up to the spirit of her predecessor. Things had been calmer in the months following the Near 09, but that by no means the troubles over at all, just passing into smoother waters for now. Separately Bruce and Diana admit to the men and the women about their intentions to marry. Naturally the women all want a look at the rock and most of the guys have this look of disbelief that the Bat, that Bruce is committing to a woman after years as a so-called eligible bachelor.

"There comes a time when it doesn't hurt so badly anymore and you want to be happy."

***

"We were getting closer ever since I came back and then quite a bit of time after the big fight with Ra's; he nears me at the promontory with a blue-black box in his hand."

The men have little to say due to disbelief and as for the women they can hardly believe it except those that knew him better than most. They were happy for her and a lot for him.

_"Not a wedding to miss to say the least…"_ is a thought in mind with most of the women.

***

Elsewhere Talia keeps her days busy looking after Darius while under the watchful eyes of Vandal who had for his part done a great deal to stabilize some portions of Kasnia following the turbulent civil war that swept the country for many months. The fighting came to abrupt end when the Near 09 nearly wiped their country off the map. She took up a different name, but kept the boy's name. However those who know her though protect her secret still refer to her by her given name, but to anyone else she is Anastasia.

* * *

A/N 1: Story kicks off with the birth of Warren Stewart, son of Shayera and John. Named partially derived from Wallace 'Wally' West and Rex Mason. Shayera wanted to name the boy after Wally and John wanted to name him after Rex. A partial nod on John's part to Rex Stewart aka Warhawk from Once and Future Thing: Time, Warped. Shayera's motive here is her friendship with Wally and of course in this case this version of John hasn't been to the future.

A/N 2: Several female characters, heroines or otherwise are pregnant, not plot convenient or typical, just thought well maybe some of them want kids after the all the trouble they went through to save the world and just maybe they had wanted kids even without the Near 09 stuff.

A/N 3: Much of what Dick or Barbara talk about refer to events that happen during BtAS or TNBA episodes. As for where is Talia or Darius, well they are around just being discrete is all because once it became known was responsible for Near 09, being connected or related to Ra's is difficult. However Vandal is keeping an eye on them simply because the Society has survived bad things before.


	2. Future Imperfect

S/N: This one starts in the future then goes back to the present, new characters introduced as well as an old one....

* * *

A dark city looms into the line of sight yet is not a good night in this distant future.

_"The convergence of events is unsettling to say the least, but we still don't know where the disruption begins, at first we thought it had something to do with what history calls Near 09."_

_"However this is not so, this is future as we know is barely holding together because someone is playing games with the time stream, but of course we know for some certainty that…."_

_"You can't even be sure about that yet why else would this happen?"_

_"There is only one way to know for some measure of clarity, someone has to…"_

_"We risk altering the time line even further if someone appears during that era…"_

_"All we know is someone did something that led to this time line that was not meant…"_

_"I'm detecting a strange energy buildup in the vicinity of…"_

_"This can't be right… everyone move now!"_

Anika knows the implosion in space was enough to prove that someone had been screwing around with history or at the very least enough to convince them that someone had to prevent history from repeating itself with the deaths of Anika's parents. However the circumstances surrounding their deaths were always suspect even to her, but what else could you expect from her. However with their numbers downed by the recent attack on the Watchers' central facility in Gotham, but someone had to go back, to stop the chain reaction that led to this event yet nobody knows who set it in motion to begin with aside from this attack being a signature throwback to the past.

"I know a lot of people insist that tampering with the past would naturally damage the future."

"However the future is already in jeopardy, so we can't just sit by and wait for own deaths."

"The clothes will give us away."

"I think there are still some leftover garments from that era."

"You sure about going back Anika?"

"It might hurt seeing them alive, but Dad always said those years after Near 09 were among the happiest for them."

"The pictures only tell a part of the story."

"I know, but what do you want me to do?"

"It is not my place disagree with you Anika."

It was impossible to argue with those green eyes of his when he was out of costume.

"You know I love you dearly, I just have to know what happens and stop these deaths."

"I know you want to save people, but you can't save everyone."

"I have to try."

"You are as stubborn as your father and as driven as your mother."

"You better believe it and love it still…"

"Always…"

She disappears through the vortex as another shift passes and sure enough it was like a lot of the buildings destroyed tonight never existed as it were its inhabitants. They were gone in this subtly different future of Gotham. Elsewhere the one responsible for the shifts returns from another escapade into the distant past. The next items on the list were things rather precious to a certain date in Gotham history.

The vortex opens to the present day though the time portal that made this trip possible was built by Gear, but now Gear like a lot of other people in Anika's present were gone except by being in transit between time periods she was unaffected by it. However it is at that moment that something strikes her in the back of the head, but someone really unexpected comes to her rescue. It is Selina Kyle returning to Gotham at the news that Bruce Wayne is getting married yet she stops when noticing Anika being attacked by underlings of Crime Boss Rupert Thorne.

She was no longer in the cat burglary business after that experience with the cat cult years ago. Something about this woman seems familiar yet she dismisses out of mind until she can get the hurt woman some medical attention. Back at Selina's loft, Anika starts coming around to a pair of cats crawling about the bed she is in, and it is when she comes face to face with Selina does she know who had saved her from the thugs. On the one hand Anika cannot believe that she would be almost taken down by gang underlings considering who else she fought yet still grateful for the save without mentioning when she is from to the former Catwoman.

"I'll ask again since you were quite dazed by getting hit over the head, who are you?"

"My name is Anika Turan."

"Almost sounds real except who has that for a last name if not from a Bond movie."

"Pfft, I'm certainly no Bond girl that's for sure."

"You certainly look about as attractive as that one that played Vesper Lynd."

"You are hitting on me?"

"No darling, I am not, I'm just complimenting you, must have a really attractive father if he passed those eyes on to you."

"Mom certainly would agree with you on that."

"What's her name?"

"Callista Turan, antiquities expert, travels a lot sometimes."

"She left you in this city on your own, she doesn't sound very bright, and so who is Dad?"

"Kane Black, people say he'll be the next Picasso."

"Do they? Strange I never heard of either of them."

"Mom lived for years on Cyprus before rising to acclaim in antiquities and as for Dad, he spent many years as a simple arts collector in Paris."

"I take the two of them met in Paris…"

"Yes they met there… she was quite taken by him…"

"They don't call it the City of Lights or more so love for nothing…"

"Where are you staying?"

"It seems they got my money and anything else I had on me, except this…"

"What is it?"

"A family heirloom that I keep hidden wherever I go…"

"Fortunate to still have that…"

Elsewhere in Gotham, the ladies have gone dress shopping and of course many are disagreeing over what to buy especially when it comes to Diana even though she is quite taken with some yellow ones that remind her of daffodils. At least it seems Shayera is agreement with her except when doing baby talk with little Warren. Diana smirks a little noticing another dark haired lady across the mall walkway, Selina Kyle and another woman that looks like she is a little lost. However at that moment the other woman looks across at her then shifts gaze down to Shayera and Warren before being pulled into the store across the way.

"What were you staring at Diana if not how well that one is hugging your figure?"

"I saw Selina Kyle and someone else on the other side of the walkway."

"She probably heard about the wedding and thinks she can get an invite."

"What about the woman that was with her?"

"A friend of hers?" comments Shayera.

"I doubt it, not with the way she was looking at me, you or even little charming Warren."

"Charming Warren?!" laughs Shayera.

"He is certainly been drawing a bit of attention of mothers to be."

"Yes he is, Dinah said he almost broke Ollie's fingers that day in the sandbox and as for Cassandra well she seems to be quite friendly in trying to become friends' kind of way."

"It always start somewhere, it would be kind of silly seeing them grown up and falling in love."

"My son dating the daughter of the 'son' of your husband-to-be?" quips Shayera.

"Stranger things have happen Shayera."

"Right well for now I've got enough with him as a baby."

Across the way, Selina is sizing up Anika then directs her friends at this dress shop to get something that looks good for her figure.

"You can thank me later once I get us into the wedding of the year."

"Who's wedding?" she asks.

"Bruce Wayne's wedding."

"Who is that?"

"What planet did you fall from?"

"Never heard of him," she answers.

"I'll give you the short version, he's the kind of man you never think would finally tie the knot, but add in someone that looks like that woman in the dress shop over there … and voila!"

"Mom said something similar about Dad as they had a rather charming reunion after spending many years apart. She would blush almost as if thinking of what they did the night they got back together at his old house."

"Some of the best romances have a lot of makeup sex in them."

"What is that?"

"You really are a bit clueless. It means you could be so mean and angry or whatever to the other person until finally tension hits the high point and the rest is blurry with the clothes all over the place."

Anika blushes at the thought remembering her armored warrior waiting for her return.

"You are thinking of him aren't you?"

"Who?"

"Your lover boy."

"How did you?" questions Anika.

"I am a woman too silly."

"I know that, but you act like you can read minds."

"Many years ago when I dated Bruce Wayne, I was really infatuated with Batman, only I learn a long time later they are in fact the same. He rarely stayed with one woman for long though I think he probably just kept passing through because being Batman seem to occupy a lot of his time. I would flirt with him while we were in costume except eventually my cat thief tendencies got on his nerves too much so it ended, but it was always exciting with him."

"Mom had stories about things like that too."

"And what about you, about him?" queries Selina.

"We met a family party, the family parties are a long standing tradition even though we aren't blood related, yet I always enjoy them especially when he and I danced for the first time."

"A name if you please…"

"Warrick Stevens."

"Like the first name, last name doesn't exactly jump out at you."

Diana and her 'entourage' leave carrying the dresses in zipped up bags to protect them. As for Anika and Selina, the latter takes the former shoe shopping next. She had to keep the tales convincing without giving away the truth about her arrival in this time frame. The future was at stake to say the least, but seeing some of those faces again was mind bending considering the future that might be, one could call it imperfect with what happen except she tries to forget some of it. She misses him especially and those loving green eyes so like his…

Selina drags her into the shoe shop and Diana makes one passing look back to the two of them.

Diana would surely tell Bruce of this later, but for now they were off to the spa.

* * *

A/N 1: This chapter beings in the future around the same era as Batman Beyond. Something has happen to the Watchers of that era and now at least one of them is going back in time to figure what is causing these shifts and hiccups in the time line. She is Anika Turan and as for her affectionate companion he goes unidentified on purpose, its called suspense!

A/N 2: Her descriptions of her parents are deliberate hints at something if you have read Just Like You. As for Selina coming to her rescue well time travel does make one a little woozy. However her being from the future is concealed at least for now.

A/N 3: Diana is dress shopping of course with her friends and Shayera even brought along little Warren. Something about him gets Anika's attention, but I'm not exactly saying what. Diana gets a deja vu about Anika even though she has no idea who she is and as for why Anika gets a familiar feeling about Warren, that's another question.

A/N 4: And here the troubles begin... picture this... "Have I told you how much I hate time travel?" and "We know it messes with ya!"


	3. Duets

"I saw Selina while we were shopping," says Diana.

Bruce in the midst of sipping something spews it out at the word Selina.

"I take you remember her."

He wipes his mouth off after setting down the cup.

"One doesn't forget her easily though they say she's reformed now."

"Maybe, but that doesn't explain that dark haired woman with her today."

"Probably some new friend or something like that."

The phone rings, Diana sees the name on the Caller I.D. so decides to not answer except Bruce starts chasing her around the room to get the phone back since he thinks it might be important, but of course it is only Selina. He does finally manage to pin her on the love seat while answering the call with a blissful exasperation in his voice. He can hear her questioning what he was doing, but of course it is only then that she hears the heavy breathing coming from Diana who is trying to take the phone back.

"_Maybe I'll call back later…" _

Bruce makes a slight grin as Diana starts pulling off his shirt and he puts his hands on her hips. She bites his lip and then kisses him with a certain level of suggestiveness that they change venues quickly. She leads him back to the master bathroom and before long steam is flowing out from under the closed door. They alternate between pulling and stripping clothing until he is left to pull down something really new with her, sheer from waist to toe hosiery. He wonders what prompted her to try this article of clothing out despite how often he had known in the past for women to complain it or abandon wearing them even when the job had a some request for women to wear it. He is slow to remove it considering it probably cost a pretty penny though of course no amount of money is too much to spend from time to time for Diana.

She slides into the soapy bath water and then makes a suggestive gesture with her fingers as well as that I dare you look she had been using lately. He does dare and she just gives him back everything he dishes out at her. She remembers how a bath had proven to be part of reigniting their relationship and somehow just being able to be with him like this is enough for her in the moment. She also took delight in how 'messy' the stripping off clothes part was today even after that game with the ringing phone. Her choice to try out that little something extra in attire came courtesy of Dinah Lance.

Dinah had told Diana how much Oliver reacts to her wearing fishnets when they are in costume. Dinah also said maybe you should try wearing them see if Bruce reacts at all and she would certainly tell Dinah some of it though it would wait for now. She wraps her legs around Bruce underwater then starts kissing him more. He runs his fingers through her hair before getting to work on her back. She sighs and moans a little as his rubbing releases some tension in her muscles.

"So what made you decide to wear that look today?"

"I believe they call it being sexy for you."

"It goes beyond sexy with you; rather it is flatters you in all the curves and your legs too."

She grabs his hips underwater and pulls him towards her. Her panting does not exceed the volume of steam hissing except there are signs that she is enjoying this lovely afternoon in the water. There is an unbeatable level intensity with them no matter how they fought in the past or argue periodically in the present. She pins like she usually does in this situation except he turns the tables on her getting her on her back instead, she bites her lip in reaction to his aggressiveness. She whispers to him what else you got and so he shows her immediately so she starts to grip the sides of the tub as he gives her a twirl with how it feels to be a little more submissive to her future husband. On one level she still holds the allure and he still takes the advance instead of it actually flipping the dominate role from him to her as it is still her.

***

Elsewhere Roy is riding downhill with Donna racing to keep up with him until a sharp turn in the road sends her flying into the air. Roy starts trying to line himself up for a catch yet as he soars into the air, he sees that she was already caught by Kyle. This is the second time in past several weeks that Kyle is somewhere close by when there's a slip. On the one hand he is grateful yet on the other he is a little jealous with Kyle flying in 'to save the girl' kind of thing. He had been having fun with Donna for the most part since London and he had not exactly been asking her to be with him romantically so he is left debating whether or not to pursue her in that way.

As Kyle descends with an amused Donna in his arms, Roy rides over and offers to drive her back to her overturned ATV. She says it is okay before Kyle flies her back to it where he uses his ring to pitch it right side up then she rides it down to where Roy has kept his idling. They resume riding and he tries to forget what happen with Kyle. As for Kyle he resumes flying enjoying his day off except he had begun to recall why he missed the sound of Donna's laughter. His flirtations with Inara were one thing, but his attraction and feelings for Donna were in the past quite genuine.

Inara never took the flirting very seriously because those were tense days during the time leading up to Near 09 besides she seems to have much more fun just helping around Central City though she does make time for friends or for Kyle.

***

Meanwhile Anika had chosen for the time being to remain with Selina as Selina is mostly believing this story about Anika's parents being away on a long trip in Greece. In truth from her perspective she had only just seen them for dinner not that long ago in the future yet the shifts in the time line were messing with everyone even her. She decides to take a walk outside to see more of Gotham in this era, which architecturally is already different to her used to seeing super skyscrapers and flying cars. How she longs to be back out on the rooftops doing the night shift, but of course some insist she inherits that disposition from her parents who while proactive still did enjoy being out there for business or fun.

Elsewhere someone else from the future is arriving in the past and looks up with the hidden thought of the expression of so it begins once more as the jumper examines what is in all the cases. The chosen items are taken and then it was as if the thief were never, so all that was there or came with the thief vanishes as if nothing was ever there. Another ripple through the time line and so Anika feels a strange sensation familiar in that it was like the other ones she felt when something was changed so she heads for all the museums in Gotham City. Each one feels as it should until she reaches one dedicated to the Outsiders, something is missing, of course various prop doubles belonging to certain costumes. It felt like whoever was making these thefts was some sort of collector or a gimmick geek.

She remembers asking her mother if they had other names besides the ones they told everyone else outside the 'family' and of course her mother would tell her stories about life before she was born. The gushiest romantic things she ever heard yet as she got older she almost did not believe those sorts of things happen outside her mother's fairy tales or the myths her father told her. This is until she met him before they went into costume yet the first time they met in costume it was almost unmistakable as he said to her how did you guess and all she did was kiss him. He of course spontaneously gave signs of physical reaction even with helmet to disguise his face.

Someone really unexpected appears in front of her as she is about to leave the museum.

"I sense trouble in the time stream, much is shifting, adrift without anchors, someone or something is messing with what is and what will be, such a fool, but it is good that you are here… someone has to fix it… might as well be you…"

The strange girl with dark hair and eyes vanishes as easily as she had appeared to Anika.

As Anika continues along she eventually finds her way towards stately Wayne Manor, but of course she had seen the place before, heard about the illustrious Wayne family, because she will be in this manor one day. However it was not until she was older that she begun to understand why her parents used other names as had many of her other 'family', but that was the way of things simply because people were intermittently afraid of her parents' 'profession'. She sees Richard and Barbara Grayson leaving with their little girl and then driving off as another younger male is in the door way waving to them before heading back inside, such a lovely time in the world. It felt a little sad that such a time could be in jeopardy from some errant time jumper, but she had her task before her.

Selina almost thinks she can sneak on Anika, but surprisingly enough, she cannot as Anika gets the older woman knocked to the ground before Selina can regain her sense of balance.

"Somebody taught you too well how to trip someone up with only your fingers."

"It is all about physicality of will, but training is handy too."

"I see you found your way here… so let's pay Mr. Wayne a visit shall we?"

"You go ahead, I can keep watch here."

"Right we might need a quick getaway, the car is…"

"…right down the hill."

"You have well tuned senses…"

"Cars have a distinctive scent too."

"Right, scent of burnt fuel."

Selina knocks at the front door and is met by a gawking Tim Drake.

"Somebody tell me why the Cat Lady is here!"

"Relax Master Timothy, I will handle this."

"Sure you will Pennyworth."

"Master Wayne has made it clear that whomever gets the invite is invited and as for you that's been decided… which means no, Good day Miss Kyle."

Selina pushes in on the door before Tim tries to takes her down except she holds him up the leg of his pants before Bruce is down stairs in a robe and thin pants.

"What do you want Selina?"

"I heard you were marrying up at last."

"You heard right, but you aren't invited."

"Why not?"

"You know well why not."

"Right having an ex-girlfriend complicates things, but what about you and Zatanna?"

"We flirted a very long time ago before I even met you."

"Puppy flirt… just let me come, I'll behave I promise."

"You better not be making that claim with your fingers twisted behind your back."

"Right, don't believe me, I'm not a burglar anymore."

"I'll need to talk to Diana about this…"

"Okay talk to her, let me know, I have company waiting for me."

"Who might that be?"

"Jealous?"

"Curious."

"A friend from out of town."

"Have fun."

Selina shows herself out even with Alfred watching her tensely as she goes and Tim giving her an eyeful for showing up at all.

"You willing to risk Diana being upset if you say Selina should be able to attend."

"If I say no she'll crash it anyway and if I say yes then Diana will be bothered."

"I'm not bothered, I just don't like the idea of Selina here with or without some sort of pretense to it."

"So she can come?"

"I'll allow it until she makes enough mistakes then she's getting tossed off the promontory."

"Cats don't like the water," jokes Tim.

"I'm sure she can swim on her own Tim."

"Yep, just get a nice soak and then shake up on the way home."

"You two are occasionally too much, but it is time for dinner."

Anika drives Selina's car back to the part of Gotham where Selina's loft is and so they go inside with all the things that Selina left in the trunk from their shopping spree.

"Hello Kitty," say two voices in unison.

"Harley? Ivy?" grumbles Selina.

Anika places one hand over her face before retreating to the bathroom, it had been a heck of a start in this time frame, but now, not one, yet rather three femme fatales from Gotham's past are sitting out there now having a bit of a drink.

"So what's this we read in the papers? Wayne getting hitched?" jokes Ivy.

"I still owe him for Mistah J," retorts Harley.

"Yes Wayne is getting married to his darling Diana and as for your problem, well there's really no point in that now anyway."

"Who is the stray?"

"She got jumped by Thorne's goons, I'm giving her a place to stay until her parents get back."

"Rare for you take anyone in."

"Rare for you to still be hanging around together unless there is more between you two."

"How many people jumping that bandwagon that she and I are together?"

"Some people just speculate a lot when they are drunk plus I have never had a girlfriend that I was with as you two are."

"She's got the kick and I got the punch."

"She's like a sister to me."

"Nice catching up, but I rather not be seen with you two right now."

"Speak of the devil, there is you know who."

"We aren't doing anything criminal."

"You might want to add yet to that sentence."

"Oh shut up for a minute will you?"

He disappears even as the three are looking out there. Something slides under the door and she opens it, an invitation for two.

"You better take me I can pass for human."

"You little pip, I am the real party attraction."

"I'm taking my new friend and you two can find your own way in if you want."

The two look at each other with a bemused expression before departing leaving Selina to plop down as her cats some looking for their mistress. As for Anika, she just wants to go to bed and hope this thing is over before too long. However the time jumper has other plans as the next theft goes down within the storage space used for the all decorative fixtures for what was the Batcave. A slight shift as the future museum for Arkham's famed generation of inmates disappears as if it were never built because the artifacts had imply vanished, but of course it was like they were never there after the date they vanished.

The present time frame remains more or less intact for the moment, which is enough for the jumper as he had been cautious in these acquisitions for things that would not be missed hopefully.

* * *

A/N 1: Romance aplenty as the chapter title may imply.

A/N 2: Selina isn't the only femme fatale back in the picture now.

A/N 3: of course Anika worries about the future or rather her present in contrast to this past-present. Time travel headache!


	4. Reversals

S/N: Shifts are increasing...

* * *

"Correct me if I'm wrong here, but weren't you know when old Blue boy started y'know?"

"What do you mean Harley?"

"He did it to all our old pals at Arkham including Mistah J."

"I was out of town when that happen don't you remember?"

"Yeah, but something don't feel right, ah forget it, I'm just glad you're back is all."

"You remember that time we used that lipstick on Wayne that Christmas."

"Who could forget that one, of course, he probably canceled those cards after we bought the stuff."

"Yeah, but we almost gave him a pasting as Batman too if it wasn't for that tree."

"Then that ball fell on my head."

"It sure did."

***

Bruce decides to pay a visit to 'Two-Face' in Arkham Psychiatric Hospital. It was renamed awhile back after a decision is made that most of its formerly criminal inmates are not really that dangerous anymore, but when he asks about Harvey 'Two-Face' Dent, nobody seems to know who he is referring too. His head hurts for a moment until some part of him remembers that Harvey barely dodged that accident years ago that turned him into 'Two-Face.' However who took his place in all the crimes committed by 'Two-Face', but of course there was Salvatore Maroni who was responsible for almost destroying James Gordon's reputation as Commissioner with Gil Mason's insider status.

Gil had met with an unfortunate accident after Maroni tried to off him and then with a bout of amnesia plus disfiguration, he had become like 'Two-Face' yet who this 'Two-Face' that Bruce could vaguely remember now. The memories start settle into place as though as it had always been that way. He decides to leave because there is no reason to exactly be visiting anyone, but of course on the way out the complex, he spots something else amiss, there is a regular gardener instead of the tasks being delegated to Pamela Isley aka Poison Ivy.

There is another shift who was Poison Ivy; it almost sounds a silly twist on Pamela Isley, Gotham's D.A.'s wife. Harvey and Pamela were married years ago aside from her qualms with his sponsorship of things that were occasionally dangerous to plant life, but she had made a conservationist out of him too. Her environmental stances made her quite the flowering attraction when she met Dent back in the midst of Batman's early career.

There was however still someone who had a penchant for plants, but who was it now, of course, Pamela's best friend Veronica Vreeland had become the Velvet Vixen. Bruce jokes to himself _did I just think of my ex-girlfriend Veronica as some sort of a plant lady, but wait a second I never dated Veronica, I first came across her when she tried to infect Harvey_. Vixen is friends with Harley Quinn, former psychiatric intern to Arkham a lifetime ago when she had fallen for the antics of a certain clown. He had a strange week already and these strange passing headaches were not helping at all.

He decides to go visit Barbara in Bludhaven, but that's when he remembers she was not a cop, she had gone to work at Bruce's company as a technological and information specialist after college. She marries Dick, one daughter so far, plus another kid on the way, and as for Dick, he is the A.D.A. in Gotham under the long time D.A. Harvey Dent. The resurgence with Rupert Thorne was definitely turning out to be quite a headache for the GCPD even with their capabilities augmented from a technological standpoint by Wayne Enterprises. His car phone rings so he answers it.

"_Hey Wayne, you are late for lunch, that lovely wife to be of yours is already here!"_

"I'm on my way now," he answers to Harvey.

"See you soon then old friend."

Bruce felt responsible for failing to notice the ties between Mason and Maroni, but at least neither Gordon nor Dent were harmed during the mess with them or the trouble with Thorne before Gordon's retirement. Dent had been the prosecutor at Wayne's trial when he took the stand to be tried for his part in the Justice Lords' so-called stewardship. However something tugs in Bruce's memory that was not the way it, but then the memory felt right even with this nagging feeling that it was not right. This is not a dream like any number of times he had mentally tricked into believing that this was not reality, but of course he had no way of knowing someone or something is tampering with history.

It had taken him a long time however to get over what happen with Jason, but then he is thinking who is that though it occurs to him that after Dick quit being Robin, he met Jason when the boy was trying to steal the hubcaps off the Batmobile of all things. He had trained as a successor to Dick yet of course Joker would have the last sadistic laugh with that one. The next time he met another boy around the same age as Jason, it was Tim, and Tim had seen something in the papers about the death of Batman's partner.

Batman did not wish to take another partner, but after Tim got Batgirl back into the Batboat following a somewhat fatal fight with Gil 'Janus' Mason, he saw that maybe it was time to put Jason's death behind him even though the guilt would never really dissipate for good. After a long drive towards the Half Moon Club, he is finally met near the entrance by Harvey who directs attention to the lovely ladies waiting for them.

"Who thought the two of us would ever be in the married life, a lawyer and a crime fighter, some odds huh?"

"Double or nothing, but for now let's have some lunch with the loves of our lives?"

"I'll split the cost with you after wards."

"Right let's get to ordering shall we."

Things were changing, she already knew it by the time she saw them across the room from them, but of course nobody in this time frame realizes it though maybe some are starting to suspect something. She is still no closer to unraveling who the mysterious time jumper is aside from the fact that individual is likely from her present, their future, and she worries somewhat how much of the future has shifted since she left. The future as it exists in relation to this present past, would it make impossible or unlikely that they still meet as they had before, but if she succeeds and forces the time line back to what it was before the shifts had begun then she would have it all back.

However there is at least one person who might be to help her if she could still find him and if time shifts have not affected his uncanny perceptiveness.

She pays for her meal then makes a passing glance at the group across the room and so they have no idea that the other couple used to be other people, not married, not even capable of speech or thought after what Superman did to them. However the two that probably took their spot in the timeline suffered that fate instead and so the deduction is more or less something that Vic Sage would have thought up. She had met Sage at one of the parties when her 'Aunt' had dragged him into it. An eccentric to say the least, but of course her 'aunt' loved the man, come to think of it most of her 'family' were of the lovey dovey sort.

It used to make her queasy until she got butterflies over the way he would watch her before she decided to beat him to the question by pulling him onto the dance floor. She remembers the looks she had drawn by leading him out to the floor instead of him leading her there gently. His father looked so surprised yet the mother could only laugh while leaning against her mother who was almost grinning at her daughter's boldness. She could never how her father reacted to such a thing because he was usually very good at concealing things when he wants too that much she could tell from an early age.

Her sharpness of mind and quickness of body had grown through the years, even more once she took her own costumed identity. Gotham among other places would learn what it meant to deal with a new generation of costumed heroics to counter the new era of criminals. She spots Selina and Harley coming down the street so skips off into an alleyway then springs up using her legs to hold her up as the two pass by, but something seem different about them too. Selina's hair was longer and lighter for one thing while Harley look less intense, less driven about something. As she heard the latter's voice, it did not sound like it had before.

Things were changing almost faster than she could keep up with, but if they were different than someone was definitely wreaking havoc in this time period so she heads for the source of the latest chronometric disturbance in an effort to trace a pattern of movements. As the rate of change in the past present exceeds the shift rate in what was her present, their future, it made that much more urgent to find whoever it was before too long or too late especially as she risks disappearing if anything happens to her parents.

"_Whoever you are I'm coming for you, you will not get away with this,"_ thinks Anika, "_My life will not be undone by some errant time traveling loon, and this is not the way it is supposed to be."_

Another voice speaks yet no one hears it, _"Your too late foolish girl, things are changing too rapidly even for them to snap out how it is changing their memories to fit the shifts."_

"_Nobody stays ahead of the curve forever," _Anika whispers to no one in particular.

***

Donna again has to break up an argument between Kyle and Roy about who is going with her to Blackhawk Island to investigate a break in there as the frequency of these chronometric distortions is bothering Faraday's organization. Donna elects to fly off on her own because of the two of them are barely listening to her yet she finds a slight reason to laugh as there are two grown men fighting over her. She wonders if that ever happen to Diana except now Diana is going to be marrying the man she fought to get back with and sure enough Kyle is racing to catch up to her whereas Roy is heading out in one of the Javelins in an effort to keep up with them.

"I know you seem concerned about me dating Roy, but you and I ended years ago."

"It doesn't mean my feelings are gone though."

"On the one hand I find it amusing to watch you two fight over me, but on the other sometimes a woman just wants to have fun."

"Some of us aren't well...."

"Hmph, well whatever the chip on your shoulder is... I'm not insensitive to it... I'm just looking to enjoy myself."

"Nothing wrong with that...."

"You just somehow prefer it was me kissing you and instead of me kissing Roy isn't it?"

"Well..."

"I knew you were jealous... green with envy are we Green Lantern?"

"Sure make a joke out of it."

"Relax Kyle, you used to love it when I made teases and puns out of your costumed identity."

"Right, well perhaps I better make one of my own Wonder Girl!"

Kyle speeds up and Donna gives chase whereas Roy tries to push the Javelin to go faster yet one try to keep up with a Lantern and an Amazonian who are racing across the sky.

"Just swell, they are flirting now!" grumbles Roy.

* * *

A/N 1: Try to keep up because well somebody is bound to be getting quite a headache with all the shifts in the time line until somehow maybe someone starts believing it in. Hence the title reversals where villains aren't exactly so anymore nor are some actually zapped if you will. Some who weren't villains before have become so now yet they have stepped into the spot of the no longer villains.

A/N 2: Bruce and Harvey were friends before he became Two-Face at least in the BtAS continuity. As for Pamela Isley, she dated Harvey before either of them became their criminal selves in BtAS as well. The shift in Barbara's profession is somewhat similar to Barbara as Oracle except she does not have the paralysis that Oracle does (for now?).

A/N 3: Jason Todd was the robin in between Dick and Tim in the comics, but Tim Drake in TNBA became an amalgam of Jason and Tim insofar as Tim being a street kid who did steal occasionally though never right off the Batmobile as far as I know of him. As for Dick, the shift has placed in the role of ADA in Gotham instead of DA of Bludhaven.

A/N 4: Our time traveling villain is wreaking quite a bit of upheaval. Who is it and what is he/she up to?

A/N 5: The triangle of Kyle, Donna, and Roy continues as they go to investigate a disturbance on Blackhawk Island at Faraday's request.


	5. Sliding Doors

S/N: Just when you think its safe, it really isn't especially not in your thoughts.... you'll see...

* * *

The search of Blackhawk Island reveals more of the same aside from the high concentration of chrono-metric particles, which confirms the possibility that someone is manipulating what is considered to be the flow of time. However even when questioning what was going on elsewhere in the world, the shifts kept bringing with a compensation factor meaning that even if something changes, almost nobody notices it for long. The effect is noticeable only to her as she had been keeping track of the Watchers in her own way going so far as to wire up a computer to infiltrate tracking networks employed by the present day Watchers. Anika had learned a lot about computers in her era, which by no surprise are faster than the computers in this time.

Elsewhere Roy and Kyle are still debating what happen to the several items that had seem to disappear right in front of them just before they enter the room yet as they watch the floor, the once clean spot turn dusty. However this recognition fades as if not remembering anything except the fact that nobody has been in here in a long time. As for Donna she finds she'll have to pick one or the other before long otherwise they will be fighting over her whether they do it openly or not makes little difference, but she wonders did Diana ever have to deal with this. As much she loves being a free spirit, even she has to admit that someday even she might want a steady relationship.

Both men come up behind her after a conference call to Faraday. Something stranger than usual happens next as in one frame she seems to be kissing Roy much to Kyle's veiled dismay and in the other Roy paces off with a grumpy look as one of her legs is tipped upward when she kisses Kyle. She shakes her head and then decides she needs some alone time, which perplexes both men. Kyle tries to follow by flight while Roy takes off in the Javelin trying again to catch up except they lose track of her, but that's what she wanted to do right now, just slip away. A conflicting shift had given her a really bad headache.

"_Donna," chirps Kyle through the earpiece._

"_Donna," calls Roy through the earpiece._

"Guys, I need to be alone right now!" responds Donna.

"_Okay, well give me a call if you need to talk," responds Kyle_

"_It was a fun day, see you around some time," replies Roy._

It happens again, she imagines answering both of them even though in the split frames she is going to meet with one or the other. Kyle was the kind of guy that you would want to stay with you with if you never knew anyone like Roy yet Roy was the kind of guy you would know you could let loose with on a pair of bikes going downhill. The thoughts are a jumble, some feel like hers, but others feel like they might be something she would think of somewhere along the line.

Two separate versions of the next night flash in her mind as she awakens in an empty bed of her place in Gotham. She elected to move there to act as a liaison between Themyscira and Faraday's organization as well as help Diana out at Bludhaven University as part of the Antiquities Department. Her cover identity in this case is one Celeste Astartes, someone who worked with Diana in the past except here most people now refer to Diana as Callista despite the fact that it was a mere cover identity during an attempt to sneak out of Europe back in Near 09.

In one version, she is wearing a form fitting dress with sheer green stockings as if deciding to try something Diana had told her about from that train ride from Vienna to Paris. She almost wore all green on purpose given that it was Kyle she was dining with this night. He of course notices it and jokes you can be so obvious sometimes even dressing like this. She only smiles knowingly as they dance for awhile until they are the only ones left. They return to her apartment where he takes a seat at her recently bought piano and starts playing so she sits next to him on the bench for awhile.

The rest is almost a blur as she climbs in front of onto his lap, she is facing him, and even as he plays he has hard time ignore how much he would rather undress her than keep playing the piano. He braces her first on the piano so one hears her hips connecting with a whole row of keys at once. She gives a bit of bite on the neck and so he works her over ever so slowly before she leads him to the bedroom. Once inside the clothes are just as slowly ending up on the floor before she takes him to bed and she remembers why she had loved the way he was with her even though they broke it off years ago.

In the other version, she has gone to a nightclub with Roy and in this version she is wearing a maroon color dress with a slightly lighter colored stockings except eager to test Roy's reaction to this look. They dance almost the whole night before she sits down foot sore and he takes the opportunity to massage his way up her legs. She giggles before he kisses her and then he asks her back to his place yet she opts saying perhaps you should see mine first. They are in the bedroom a lot sooner than when she thinks she is with Kyle.

It is a new experience with Roy as she held back from being physical with him for the longest time though she was curious and he was rough, she never had rough before, at least not Roy's kind of rough. He almost looks worried that she is already comparing him to Kyle in this way too. She kisses him as if trying to put a stop to thinking about anything outside this bed. They go on like this all night and into the morning.

However when she wakes up, she is the only one in her bed, neither of them seems to have actually been here yet she is eager for a really long cold shower as she suspect she had a double fantasy about being out with both men that she is drawn too. She has voice mail from both of them this morning, at first the messages seem to be talking about the night that seems to have been only fantasy then it switches to both of them asking her out to dinner. It should not be a difficult decision, but refusing one would make the other feel upbeat while leaving the refused one feeling well not so upbeat.

"I almost envy you sister having found the man for you… I have two and I can't make up my mind."

She goes back in the shower and experiences another double vision that makes her head hurt again. In one version she is again with Kyle except they are sharing the shower the morning after a get back together kind of sex. In the other, Roy has ridiculous boyish grin on his face as he showers after she climbs out dripping wet. She likes the way he is staring at her yet in the other version there is something obviously different with the way Kyle handles her. She grips her head and tries to stop thinking about this except the fact is the shifts are causing her to see different lives for herself with either man.

She goes back to bed after talking to Diana on the phone.

"I sense you are troubled Little Sister."

"That is putting it lightly, I cannot seem to cease whatever is causing me to fantasize about Kyle and Roy."

"You want me to drop by?"

"If you have the time."

"I make the time, see you soon Donna."

She is hit with a vision of cooking a late brunch with Kyle while also having a midday round of closeness under the sheets with Roy. She drags herself over to the sink and sticks her into a sink full of cold water. Nothing is making it stop yet then sure enough it ends for the time being just as Diana arrives on the balcony.

"I don't think I ever took that long to dry, but you look you dunked your head into cold water."

"I mean it is one thing to fantasize about one man, but two men at the same time!"

"You have feelings and attraction to both of them."

"These things made my head hurt."

"Made? So they stopped?"

"For the moment."

"That's a relief!"

"Yes, not even a cold shower could knock over this aroused feeling that those double fantasies left me."

"Maybe it is a sign that you need to commit to one of them instead of flirting with both of them."

"Maybe, but it is a tough call, you drove yourself to not give up on Bruce or Batman. As for me I was with Kyle, but now I have been having a twirl with Roy. I know you can't compare them, but I'm drawn to both of them for different reasons plus going on a mission to Blackhawk with both of them didn't help either."

"More of those distortions again too?"

"Yes they keep occurring with no semblance of pattern at least that Faraday's people can find."

"I have a feeling Bruce is looking into it too."

"Sounds like him, so Dinah told me that she told you try a certain something on Bruce."

"Bruce to say the least was more than just pleased, of course with him it is beyond words."

"Fortunate are we that the others don't here of how we seem to be so drawn to men."

"Yes, but we have also had the fortune to be drawn and for me to be in love with a passionate and driven man. You know I want you as my maid of honor right?"

"Yes, the psychic bond remember, it came back to me after awhile once you had most of your powers back."

"I thought of going with daffodil shaded dresses though mine will be the brightest yellow whereas the bridesmaids would have lighter shades while you would have one that is an approximate to my gown."

"Sounds good to me, you think Bruce picked a best man yet?"

"I would guess either Harvey or Dick."

"His best friend or his first ward… some call there."

"I remember that you were quite taken with Dick a long time ago at least before either of us knew that much about either Bruce or Dick."

"He started seeing Kory though after I saw him again during the events of Near 09 I met his wife Barbara and his baby daughter Cassandra

"I am still trying to decide on bridesmaids, any suggestions?"

"I would definitely say Zatanna if only to annoy Bruce a little, Dinah for her little attire suggestion, Helena maybe, definitely Barbara, and to just go really out there…"

"You are nuts little sister… Selina Kyle?"

"Plenty of other women have known Bruce before you and I was only kidding about Selina... also I would contact Audrey... she would love this!"

"Sure you were… well time to get you through fitting for your dress, and I'll try to reach her soon."

Diana and Donna head for the dress shop unaware that Anika had been keeping tabs on them too. The shifts were affecting things more rapidly, but at least she seems think to that she might be able to follow what is happening if she can get near the source of the next possible disturbance.

Meanwhile Kyle is keeping busy with his artwork while Roy is at the gym, trying to keep them occupied even though the shifts are causing them to fantasize not only about Donna, but other women too. Kyle briefly imagines something happening with Inara of all the ladies he has met since coming back to Earth. As for Roy, he recalls his last encounter with Jade in Tokyo, and it is of course unforgettable to say the least. She however disappears before he woke up the following morning after that night time encounter on the rooftops. The shifts apparently unknown to those experiencing cause the individual to perceive alternate lives that the mind passes off as pure fantasy.

However the strongest fantasy both experience are ones similar to Donna's even though none of three know it, which makes the whole thing that much more an unexpected triangle.

* * *

A/N 1: Idea sprung from this movie called Sliding Doors where a woman goes through two separate lives that branch out from catching or missing a train on a particular day. However in this case, the time shifts are causing Donna to imagine a rekindled love life with Kyle and a new romance with Roy.

A/N 2: Blackhawk Island from The Savage Time and I am Legion, except here the time jumper has taken things from here, and now the shifts are starting to affect people in more a widespread way of course.

A/N 3: Tip off to the episode Maid of Honor by having Donna accepting to become Diana's Maid of Honor. Also of course Audrey will be there.


	6. Wrong Side of the Bed

S/N: "The time line is becoming so polluted, that history itself is becoming fluid." Not going for spoilers, but you'll see how messy its getting...Donna finally spots this woman

* * *

Diana had mentioned from the day she was wedding gown shopping except she is trying to pretend like she is just browsing even though Donna is there. Donna had bought outfits approximate to ones she had worn in her fantasies simply to indulge the look except it causes her to get flashes of being with both of them. She is brought back into focus as the strange woman stands over her.

"Who are you?" she mumbles to the woman.

"No one to you," answers the woman.

"You must have a name," asks Donna.

"My name is Anika 'Black'," answers the woman.

"Doesn't sound familiar."

"It wouldn't because I haven't been born yet from your point of view."

"You are from the future."

"Not the future, a future."

"What does that mean?"

"You already know if you are getting headaches."

"How did you know about?"

"You have all the symptoms of head pain, but there's added catch because of time shifts."

"Time shifts?"

"Someone or something is altering history at will thus spreading shifts across everything."

"So that means…"

"Whatever you are seeing is actually what could happen if you made certain decisions."

"What makes you so certain."

"It is sound theory, but then I am not the one gifted with the ability to see the way you do."

"Where are you going?"

"Leads to check on given that more shifts are occurring even now."

"Why does that disappearing act seem so familiar?" grumbles Donna.

Another flash overwhelms her as she is looking at how a lavender dress hugs her hips in the mirror and Diana comes into the room.

"My little sister getting married never thought I would see that happen so soon after mine."

Her eyebrow arches just a little wondering who could prompt her to marry and to wear a lavender dress except a similar scene unfolds with almost full symmetry though in this instance she is wearing turquoise gown. Diana repeats what she just said except she seems to sound happier about it this time than she was the other time. The dates on the wall calendar are the same so it must be symptomatic of the shifts again. She is being led down the aisle by in both scenes by her brother-in-law except in one instance it is Bruce yet in the other is it King Faraday. This is the first clear sign that these are not fantasies as she thought they were rather somehow allowing her to see into alternate time lines or realities.

In one instance the flower girl is Dick's little girl Cassandra with little Warren carrying the rings on a satin pillow and in the other it is Ollie's little girl Mia with his son Connor carrying the rings on a plush pillow. The man turning around waiting for her at the end of aisle is in one vision Kyle with Jimmy Olsen for a best man while in the other it is surprisingly not Roy, it is Dick. The one where it is Kyle is a reality where Diana does marry Bruce and the one where it is Dick, she is married to King. In both realities however someone unexpected makes an appearance to sweep her off her feet then away the man she was planning to marry, in the reality where it is Kyle it is Roy and the reality where it is Dick it is Kyle. Her head hurts as she passes out in both realities in the arms of her wedding crasher as he flees with her.

She awakens in her apartment with Kyle in bed next to her and she also awakens in her apartment with Roy next to her until she finally awakens with Dick and Barbara standing there with Diana. Diana had felt faint during a wedding rehearsal and claims something is wrong with Donna so the trio went in search of her only to find her out cold on the way to her car.

"It seems your visions are growing stronger as if something is really wrong," says Diana.

"I met that woman you told me about from the day you were gown shopping," murmurs Donna.

"What did she say?"

"She knows about what is happening to me or has a theory."

"What is it?"

"She says I am seeing overlapping possibilities, alternate realities, and divergent time lines."

"She could be right given the level of vivid detail you told me about."

"I need to talk to Diana alone."

"Okay well we got to get home, Alfred said he would stay the night if he had to, but I think Cass prefers to have us at home."

The sisters sat in silence until the Graysons left the apartment.

"What did you see this time Donna?" asks Diana.

"Two different weddings, both mine, you were already married in one reality to Bruce and in the other to King."

"King Faraday, you must be joking with me again."

"I'm not. In the reality where you are married to Bruce, I'm marrying Kyle or at least it looks that way until Roy shops and tries to take me away with him."

"What about the one where I'm supposedly married to King does Kyle come for you there?"

"I'm marrying Dick in that one and Kyle does come for me in that one except the one with King and Dick makes even less sense than the one with Bruce and Kyle."

"You need to rest; your imagination is running wide even if these things you see are real."

"They are real. I smell the perfumes, taste the lipstick on my lips, and feel the fabric hugging my body, and then I got dizzy when I was being taken away by Roy and Kyle in those two realities."

"You certain you are not fantasizing anymore?"

"At first I thought they were just fantasy, but the way everything unfolds in them, they seem so real right down to the conversation between me and you in that situation being exactly the same except nothing else matches beyond that."

"I think we need to consult Mother and the Fates."

The strange woman that both sisters had seen appears again.

"They know about as much as you do and I belong to a future that technically does not exist anymore."

"Who is she?" questions Diana.

"Look closer Big Sister," says Donna.

"She couldn't be… could she?" queries Diana.

"The next shift is nearing, I have to trail back to the source, you'll forget, maybe Donna won't."

Donna is sitting opposite Diana after discussing what happen at the store except Donna looks in the direction of where the strange woman stood until Diana asks "what the matter is now." She only answers I thought I heard something. Diana heads down stairs and out the door not noticing that Alfred had not arrived as he was supposed to except she had not forgotten because it is not happening as she did not call for him instead she flies back to the Manor. She hides in the clouds until descending near the promontory where she finds Bruce in deep thought.

"So what happen with Donna?" asks Bruce.

"She's having those fantasies again except now she claims they are flashes of other realities and times."

"Anything we can do?" continues Bruce.

"I am not sure, I will have to speak to Mother see if there is any clues to be had for this mystery."

"She said anything else about how they had begun to appear to her?"

"She claims they started about around the time she left Blackhawk Island."

"We will have send scene specialists like Captain Atom and the Atom to investigate this further."

"You seeing double or triple at all?"

"If you mean alternate realities, no, I have had my share of bad dreams though."

She braces Bruce against the wall before showing just how determined she could be when she had her sights on her beloved husband to be. He kisses her and for a second even she seems to be in one of the other realities that Donna told her about, the one where she is married to King Faraday except it shifts back by the time she is done kissing King.

"You alright my love?" asks Bruce.

"I'm fine just a little tired is all."

"Time for a rest then."

He leads her along to the long wrap around sofa and tells her to lie down forcibly even if he has to do such to make her rest. Suddenly there is a boom except Bruce just says relax only a storm coming up from the coast. A bit of rain and a lot of wind so he wraps a blanket around her before turning up the fireplace, which for a moment she thought was not there before until she remembers he had it installed after they started living together here full time before the engagement. She eyes the ring on her finger except now instead of being a diamond, it is now a ruby, but only someone like Anika or maybe Donna would remember what it was before the shift.

However for Diana and even Bruce when he bought her the ring cannot remember that it is not the same now, really not the same. She falls asleep in his arms not knowing that hours later she would awake in a different house somewhere else and in someone else's arms. Those arms belong to King Faraday whereas Bruce would find himself awakening to the sight of his fiancée, the one he had been with on and off for years that being Andrea Beaumont. Andrea became that mobster killer, but that was not her. It was Reeves who went off his rocker once Andrea exposed him for setting up the murder of her father. Reality is as many had known until they forgot and thought of this passing reality as reality had forgotten what was their perceived reality or time line.

He and Andrea got back together well after his release following his prison term for his part in the reign of the Justice Lords. The relationship he almost had with Diana did not rekindle or did it, but of course this is not the first time Bruce has had a head pain this week so he takes a couple of Advil just as a precaution. Meanwhile Diana gasps at finding herself awakening next to King as she could not recall how she got here, but of course she gotten drunk with him, she had lost romantic hope during Near 09. The sight of that strange masked character kissing Bruce was too much, but of course she learns that the masked character was once responsible for the deaths of two mobsters who had been in business with her father.

She did however repent her ways according to others who seen him with this Andrea Beaumont, but of course King was genuinely interested in her; she on the other hand still very much had feelings for Bruce. This was wrong, this is not how its suppose to be she thinks with a hangover, she drank more than he did, she knew this because he passed out, and she took a lot of his liquor from the liquor cabinet when they got here to his place.

Meanwhile Anika weeps when she sees a new notice in the Gotham Herald, Bruce Wayne to marry Andrea Beaumont after a prolonged engagement. In other news, D.A. Dent and his wife expecting second child. Those once villains are now having the time of their lives while those still close to heroes are slipping away from the bliss of that the new dawn that had come with the aversion of Near 09. Even the names on Selina's invitation had shifted though the former Catwoman never noticed it.

In Bludhaven, the Oracle passes along information to her lover Nightwing as the two still manage to have a romance even though she can no longer walk thanks to being shot in both legs by the Joker. There never was a daughter named Cassandra, but still she hopes to have a family some day with her winged hero. Jason had died to save Barbara, to save Batgirl from the shot meant to kill her, but while injured he took Joker over the edge with him. The two plunged to their deaths and Harley never got over it so she had to be confined to Arkham indefinitely as she threatened to kill anyone close to the late Jason Todd.

Tim Drake happened along a couple years later and saved Batman when he had taken a bad hit from Gil 'Janus' Mason. Janus had been after Barbara that day as remembers her being Batgirl, the very same that cost him his promotion to Commissioner while framing her father for taking bribes from Thorne even though Thorne was already in custody. Maroni got away with his part of the crime, but Janus got tossed into Arkham until he broke out looking for her though they stopped him then got him thrown back in since.

Nobody took his babbling serious even when he would claim to know the Bat family identities since most saw him as a deranged loon so his cries unnoticed in general. Donna awoke twice except neither time seems real to her as first it is Kyle, second time it is Roy, and the third there is no one except her machine is blinking. She hits the play button and can hear a drunken Diana leaving a message for her.

"Something is definitely wrong more than her just calling me when she is drunk. I have never heard her drunk before."

She hears another voice except it is coming from the dark corner as if it could have been Batman, but it was not, it was only that strange woman she could vaguely recall seeing before.

"I told you all it would worsen and I was right, now your sister and your future brother-in-law are with different people… this is just the beginning of how the time line is unraveling from what I remember."

"Plus I am guessing we are closer to deciphering who is causing this are we?"

"No we are not, but I know where to look next."

"Where to then?"

"The Fortress of Solitude, Hall of Weapons…"

The strange woman vanishes again and Donna rubs her throbbing head in her hands, too much conflicting imagery and sounds to be certain of what future to aim for at a time like this one.

* * *

A/N 1: Donna in the comics as I was told and read has the ability to see the Multiverse, which when rewritten in this story makes her able to see alternate time lines or realities. She believes at first that they are mere fantasies, but the frequency and occurrence is too simple to pass off any longer. Anika will have to rely more on Donna because Donna is the only one likely to believe whatever she elects to share with Donna.

A/N 2: The triangle worsens due to the ability to see other realities or time lines as Donna sees at two different futures for herself and Diana.

A/N 3: The time shifts are responsible for the latest development towards the near end of this segment where Diana wakes up in someone else's bed and its not Bruce whereas Bruce is marrying someone else. I had toyed with this particular twist since Anika isn't erased by shifts in this time line because she is not in her own time frame anymore.

A/N 4: Consider this the next headache because I could never make sense of the fact that they wrote a series called Infinite Crisis or any number of other titles in an attempt to stream line the conflicting continuities. However unlike IC or any of the others, here it is merely the fact the time line keeps shifting at almost random intervals due to some kind of tampering with the time line that's worsening of course.

A/N 5: The fate of Jason Todd changes with this shift, he dies a more 'heroic' death to save Barbara even though she is badly injured beforehand. She goes from Batgirl to corporate liaison to Batgirl that becomes Oracle. Dick reverts back solely to Nightwing and Tim Drake takes up the Robin mantle as usual after saving Batman and Oracle from Janus.


	7. Memento

S/N: Partnership across time... Donna and Anika... more visions for Donna. Also visions/ future flash backs appear in italics.

* * *

Donna agrees to fly Anika to the Fortress even though she has little idea on how to get inside except Anika seems to know more about certain present day hideaways than she lets on, which of course Donna attributes to who she believes is her father. However she does not ask who the parents are even with her suspicions. Once inside, they are stealthy making sure they are alone except the animals that were once dead and gone are back somehow. Donna grips the frozen wall before getting another series of flashes.

_A battle within the Fortress between an older Superman, someone that's dressed in what resembles Thanagarian armor, a young woman in a bat suit, another woman that she believes is a female Green Lantern, another male Flash, as well as younger Green Arrow and Black Canary. The older Superman is holding ground with all of them except there is something strange on his chest. _

_There is another shift where it is a woman breaking into a strange yet well protected house to confront someone that had known about her past before her parents' death despite how well hidden they believed they were from those who were after their daughter. A third swipe follows with several scenes all taking place in the same era as first two._

_The first is the same woman from the second flash confronting another woman about the truth about their parents' line of work._

"_How much did you really know Nightfire?"_

"_What do you expect me to tell you Batwoman?"_

"_We might as well drop the act of costumed names Maris!"_

"_If you want it that way Anika then fine with me, I lost my parents not long after you!"_

"_I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought this up, I have other things to do."_

"_Wait… I didn't mean for you… so like 'uncle'."_

_Maris fumes realizing some things could really be genetic or run in the 'family'._

_The second is the woman she believes to still be Batwoman meeting a man with green eyes in Gotham City Park._

"_You know I care about you deeply… that I…"_

"_I know all that Aki… but I am not letting you go… not like this!"_

"_I'm taking the call out of your hands!"_

"_What are you saying?"_

"_I'm saying it is over."_

"_Who said you could decide that, don't I have say in this too!"_

_She walks away leaving a rather resigned looking man who slams a closed fist down and in doing so makes an impression in the stone railing of the lake's bridge._

_The next scene plays out even more bittersweet than the first three as the same team she saw in the first scene is battling a collective of opponents that resemble villains of present day heroes except they look more like they belong to the era she is seeing here. However someone is missing when they all start to go down and that is because she is late so by the time she finds her old team, some are half dead or close to death. However she retaliates on their attackers with a vengeance to the disbelief of a certain male who had spoke to her often with such affection and her words yelled at the team's attackers would drive him to regain his footing.  
_

"_Never again will you, will any of you harm them! You hear me get out of my city!"_

_She takes off again though he dares to follow her this time even as she tries to lose him except he keeps, he will not let her get away from him. As he forces her down to a rooftop, he roughly pulls back her mask and kisses her intensely. He is too quick for her too resist him. _

_ A song that he would associate with her that he heard from his mother's collection of music from the previous century comes to mind as he kisses his Aki._

**And if there's no tomorrow  
And all we have is here and now  
I'm happy just to have you  
You're all the love I need somehow  
It's like a dream  
Although I'm not asleep  
And I never want to wake up**

"_What was that for?" she says after gasping for air._

"_It is call love, it is called saying here is how much I miss you, how I need you."_

_She sighs before kissing him back and wraps her arms around him while resting her head against his armored chest._

"_I just can't believe they are gone!"_

"_It would be poor of me to say I know even when I already lost my father."_

"_We are so few now, and this new danger with the time shifts, I worry about forgetting you, losing you, you are all I have left!"_

"_Then why tell me to go? Why leave me?"_

"_If I had to watch you disappear I don't know what I would do because then I might forget you ever existed and even if I never met you, I would still miss you."_

_Tears stream down her face..._

... as they do down Donna's as Anika shakes her.

"What did you see?" demands Anika.

"I saw a future, maybe even your time; it did not look like the Gotham I know."

Anika frowns wondering if she saw him… saw the others… saw what might have started this process, but Donna only shakes her head while still trying to process what she saw aside from the mind splitting headache. At least she had not passed out this time; she was nauseous, but only from the suddenness and the emotional intensity of what she saw of that era of Gotham. She realizes this time orphan Anika has more at stake with these temporal disruptions than she originally had known, not just her parents, but a lover, someone who chased after her following a tense battle where he almost died.

Several things are missing from the Hall of Weapons including a rather massive disruptor. The temporal jumper had more particles behind after stealing almost half the contents of this room. She touches the wall wondering if she could get some sense of who they were dealing with, but of course the figure is tall slender, dark hair, one eye blue, and the other brown. A strange combination to say the least and so she describes the face to Anika. Anika does not recognize the face, but something seems familiar about the body type and his outfit unless she was wrong to suspect the Society of Assassins or Aeon or any other among her rather tiny Rogues gallery. Father had a lot of heavy hitters in his ranks, but of course he would remind her often as a child such things are _not popularity contests_.

_She understood what Father meant after a couple of months in costume, but of course Mother never quite understood what she took after Father in the costume department. Mother always said that even for being a half of what she was did not mean Anika should hide such a face yet Anika took a page from Father's unwritten guide to Gotham. Criminals are superstitious and cowardly so they are prone to fear those without much of a human looking face, which she found to be true even during the occasional shared nights with Nightfire. Things took a real flip that one night when she had been knocked off a roof and was unconscious almost the whole way down except when she awoke on a lower roof all she could hear was flapping in the distance._

_Someone other than Nightfire had stopped her free fall and she would not learn this stranger's alter ego identity for quite awhile but until then she would think of the person as her personal savior. However she would never admit it out loud not even after she met him except when she did meet, it was actually someone she had known all along, and the dance just became another part of her eidetic memory of him. The some of lyrics from the song from that night also got stuck in her head at the time._

**Other dancers may be on the floor  
Dear, but my eyes will see only you  
Only you have the magic technique  
When we sway I go weak**

**I can hear the sounds of violins  
Long before it begins  
Make me thrill as only you know how  
Sway me smooth, sway me now**

_He of course had tried to pretend they never met before, but something about him gave him away especially when he tried to feign meeting for the first time on a rooftop after she gotten through chasing a gang of Jokerz._

"_I see Gotham's got a new Knight," he jokes._

"_I bet you say stuff like that to all the ladies," she answers trying to sound a little witty._

"_No, I would only say such things to you."_

"_So it was you that saved me that night."_

"_How did you…"_

_She read once "A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous." Of course those who still watched films from before her parents' era would know who to associate that quote to in a second, but she always knew in less than a second when she saw him or saw any black and white films. She is drawn out of the reverie of memory of kissing him by something Donna is saying to her._

"Someone is obviously going to a lot of trouble to steal seemingly random objects, however why would the disappearance of such things be tripping the time line this much?"

"Maybe they are doing more than just stealing it, maybe they are somehow causing different people to be at different places especially when they were not there in what I perceived as my present and this past before I came to your present."

"Yes that's sounds plausible, but where do we go from here?"

"Paris or Kasnia…"

"Why there?"

"Because they were there or at least they were."

"Then off we go, it will be awhile, you might want to sleep a little."

However sleep meant dreaming about him even though she technically no longer exists in the current future so she wonders who he might have met instead, but she pushes it out of mind as she drifts to sleep in an Invisible Jet flown by Donna. It was not that Donna did not feel like flying, but it was easier to put the plane into autopilot to reduce with the risk of having her piloting being affected by shift induced visions.

Elsewhere another shift is underway in Arizona as pieces of both Invader and Thanagarian hardware vanishes courtesy of the time jumper or jumpers. It was with some unexpected thrills that nobody seem to notice when things were shifting almost at random now instead of the non-existing pattern that some might see to the thefts as they do seem almost entirely random.

***

Back in the future almost nobody notices the changes, but the shifts seem to cover just as well. Maris does not even know why she still bothers with the Nightfire guise with the lack of any backup in Bludhaven, but of course Gotham has been without a Batman for a very long, long, long time. The same could be said for the lack of a Superman too, but everyone seems to be getting some form of memory loss, but what else to explain except that attempt to explain is worse than the old one at least to her. She can barely contact anyone on any Watcher frequency, so she instructs whoever can hear to answers except there is not one.

She decides to visit the graves at Gotham Cemetery where the oldest of the family had been buried for generations and of course she offers her words to the late Waynes, to the late Graysons, and others who went to this occasion. Things like it could have been a different world if not for all the other stuff. She was tired after awhile so she went home wondering if she made any difference, but of course as her father told her "never to give up ever no matter how desperate."

* * *

A/N 1: Donna's new visions are of a future that involves a new generation of heroes including a future Batwoman among others.

A/N 2: More is told about Anika's history through these visions, and for those of you guessing who Anika is as well as who her lover is well you were right, but hey who does not like a bit of mystery. Who is Maris aka Nightfire? Well it does not leave much imagination to guess who she might be related to anyhow.

A/N 3: I based a lot of the visions on the hypothetical scenes from JLU Epilogue B&W scenes that Terry supposedly imagines to see how things might unfold if he gave up Batman, gave up being a part of the JLU, and gave up Dana. However as this is well you know who's future, it plays out differently. Also 'not popularity contests' is a nod to what old Bruce tells Terry after he recovers from the venom attack in ROTJ.

A/N 4: Some candidates for the temporal disruptions are named including the Society and Aeon, who is Aeon?

A/N 5: The bold lines are lyrics in soundtrack songs from The Wedding Date soundtrack incidentally a bit of the futuristic vision dialogue is borrowed from a scene in that same movie. The first belongs to The Corrs' song Breathless and the second belongs to Michael Buble's song Sway.


	8. Timeless

S/N: Enter the apparent villain of the story, someone called Aeon, but real identity and true motives are still somewhat mysterious....

* * *

The vault will need expansion, but of course the collection is swelling with all that was taken from the past. What was more is that there is seemingly no able or left to stop the plan, but even so the other's warnings about what was already said by the time jumper is hard to ignore as the shifts have grown by far and large. None of the personal lives of those that had things stolen is intact and most of the marriages or even births that took place in the first time line that jumper recalls did not occur as in fact many deaths occurred far earlier too. The jumper descends into the living specimens sections where there were many temporal orphans, meaning that whatever time line they were taken from no longer exists except one had been very elusive insofar as escaping the trap that got many of the others.

However the jumper knows how much the elusive prey values one temporal orphan in particular except he does not remember her, at least not her that he thinks of right now. In the time line, he recalls she died in the fight to stop an alien that used Superman as a host to engineer a new beginning for its species on Earth. He had not known her for very long and it was even more heartbreaking to admit the attraction after the fact to her mother who had already her father to a heart condition that had forced him to retire twenty years before. He was amazed her father stayed on the field well into the later years.

In the fight where she died, he had to be the one to separate Superman from the creature, and it did work though after Superman felt terrible about her death at his hands even though the alien was in control of him at the time. It was not until quite a bit of time passes that he had begun seeing Maris aka Nightfire. However the current time shifted version of Nightfire does not remember him anymore than he knows that Anika is still alive in the past thanks to her going outside the shift radius of her present.

The jumper had seen the shift radius affects a certain section of history for a set number of years at sporadic intervals so of course anyone within the focal point of the shift radius is stuck under the ripple effect symptoms. This means that anyone within said focal point will remain within the radius or sphere until a shift transpires to seemingly erase said individual history and if they are still around after the shift, their history is different. The jumper wonders if his parents would find this scheme conniving genius or what, but of course an ego boost is useless to him aside from inheriting a disposition to 'fix' by reorganizing history to benefit him.

He did also of course have to deal with the fact that history even his own would change except it does not affect him, not while wearing the chronobelt all the time. The only way to disrupt and reset what had happen would have been to stop in from the start, which nobody had known or likely to never know so long as he remains unseen and unrecognized. However time takes no sides, not even his, but some are willing to bend the rules so that someone can stop because the longer this shifting goes on, the less likely that anything recognizable will be left at the end.

As for his mother, she would stay stuck in that sphere he built for her, but she'll suffer the most as he is making her experience the shifts on purpose so she sees all the changes no matter how radical they are even to her. He had as she put it inherited his grandfather's predisposition for doing whatever felt necessary to further a plan no matter how inhuman it would seem to anyone else except him. He never met his grandfather, but he felt this compulsion to make anyone who knew his mother to suffer plus those who had kept him on the run for years too.

The only sad thing about this to his mother is as watches him from the sphere is knowing that he used to be such a happy boy, whatever happen to that boy she used to wonder until the night he came home with several weapons that looked like they belong to assassins. She asks where he got them, he said they would no longer be a bother to anyone, and then went to his room. He spent a great deal of time laboring over gadgets and giizmos for years until he proclaims his great creation the chronobelt to her.

Once she heard of what he would use it for she did not worry at least not right away as it first it seem harmless go back and study history first hand, but after a few trips into the past, he had started taking things, at initially there were no noticeable side effects aside from headaches and swearing things were different. Until eventually she woke up one from a nap inside one of the spheres, originally she is the only one, then there are others as the weeks start to pass, and now she could no longer tell exactly how many were stuck down here. The catch was now if any of them left the sphere, the shifts would just erase them permanently, so it is a fate worse than death, it is non-existence that confronts them if they leave the spheres.

The other sphere captives are kept sedated and under the delusion that their reality still exists at least to them. His obsession with manipulating time is almost unclear except he believes he can engineer the perfect reality by taking whatever he believes he needs to make that reality except he fails to realize that an ideal reality does exist yet it never deters him from manipulations. However he calls them calculations of risk versus gain to forge his better ideal reality. The Society won't touch Aeon because at Aeon's convenience even they could cease to exist as well. One wonders how such an individual earns a reputation that inspires as much fear as Batman had done in the preceding century.

Truth be told his compulsion to steal had more to do with his mother than even she had thought possible, but his cruelty that was not something typical of her or so she thought. He disappears into past to continue collecting except this time he would be taking from someone a little more public face, but what he does not expect is to see Diana lying on the bed in this man's house. She had foolishly left much of her costume scattered over the bedroom and so it was a simple matter to take the most valuable elements even though the lasso does try to bind him. He vanishes before it can force him to say anything important yet when she awakens, she is not in Faraday's house anymore... rather she is back in Themyscira as if never having left.

In this shift vision there is the further twist when meets her mother who is glad to see she is enjoying herself again for a change, but neither speaks of what happen with Aresia or with what happen when the Wonder Woman outfit seems to have just disappeared in the middle of the night. However that was many years ago and new armor was made for when it was time for Donna to venture into Man's World as their representative as well as help thwart a Thanagarian Invasion in an effort to use Earth as part of a bypass network to reach their enemy's home world. Donna had taken part in Earth's defense while also helping Shayera to escape captivity. However both had to go Shayera's husband who had been fighting with Shayera's Thanagarian promised man Hro Talak.

Batman as she had heard dropped the bomb that blew up the bypass forcing the Thanagarians to quit their attempt to utilize Earth to form another link in the bypass chain.

Back in the present day, the Invisible Jet is heading towards Paris, Donna asleep twitches awake to find herself strangely in armor that looks close to what Diana had worn before the Lords' stewardship except instead of it being Diana's, it had become hers instead. Donna rub her forehead, but Batman in this time line is not the first Batman. The first Batman survived a much more painful fate when Bane did enough damage to keep him from walking ever again or anything else for that matter since what happen to Barbara Gordon had soured relations between the Dark Knight and Commissioner Gordon.

Another shift vision shows Harley had broken out of Arkham while still quite upset about the fate of her 'Pudding' so she goes after the person that Jason Todd had saved from dying in order to mess up Joker's plan. Joker had tried to finish the plan except that was when Jason despite his injuries now drove the psychotic clown over the edge of the roof. It cost him his life yet he had taken Joker with him. Harley killed Barbara aka the Oracle except there was another shift.

A fourth vision shows how it goes from Janus then to Scarecrow as her killer and it was yet another death that Batman could not prevent so it begins to bother him when he is increasingly unable to save people. In the latest switch with it being Scarecrow as her killer, she plunges off the side, Tim flips out unable to do anything, Batman looks down in horror, and even Nightwing arriving on the scene a split second too late does nothing. Gordon turns on Batman and his remaining partners.

Several nights after the fatal plunge, Alfred died trying to cover the escape from the Batcave and finally a few nights later while trying to pay his rooftop respects to Barbara the SWATs caught up to Batman, but he evades them only to be caught by Bane. The two fought until they got closer to Gordon then Batman abstains from the fighting except Bane wants a fight to the death. Gordon wants to lock away Batman, lock Bruce away with the Arkham crowd, but of course Bane has other ideas.

He drives Gordon towards the edge before knocking him off yet Nightwing and Robin try to get in order to help Batman against Bane. Bane however jumps the gun metaphorically.

He throws the Bat-Signal at Batman and Gordon, which sends both over the side. Nightwing goes after Batman and Robin goes after Gordon except Gordon is too heavily for Robin.

"Dick get Gordon, I'll be fine…"

"What about Tim?!?" retorts Dick.

"Damn it, I'm going after him!"

Both of them are not fast enough as the bodies hit the pavement hard so Batman tries to cover Nightwing's escape and so Batman is caught then locked away for the 'negligent homicide' of Commissioner Gordon. He is also put away for endangering the late Timothy Drake as well as Barbara Gordon by not telling her to cease involvement with him. As for Scarecrow well he got away for awhile until Dick caught up with him when the man of fear tried to gas his way to another big theft, which is where the long fifth vision ends.

In a sixth vision, Donna tries to console Dick at Barbara's grave, but he seems unreachable for many years after that until Kory forces her way back into his life. The two marry and have a daughter named Maris who when she's older assumes the identity of Batwoman who intermittently partners with Green Arrow II, Black Canary II, and others, but never for long term. Donna jolts out of the latest visions tipped off by shifts as usual yet finds Anika is still there even though in the latest shift vision of the future there is no Anika 'Black', only Maris Grayson aka Batwoman.

The last time she saw anything of the future, there was Maris who was called Nightfire, but the eyes of the two different women named Maris did not match as in once instance the eyes looked more like hers, like Donna's and in the other they looked more like Kory's eyes. Donna lands the ship on the rooftop of the hotel where Anika indicates that her parents stayed at from time to time when they went to Paris. Anika spots a red dress in the window of a shopping center some distance from the hotel so they head there and it looks almost identical to her mother's dress except she is not there to buy it, because judging by the shift in Donna's appearance. Her mother never became Wonder Woman, but she had no idea what to make of what might have happen to her father.

"How come you are wearing Amazonian armor that looks like Mom's armor?"

"I think the latest switched or substituted me for Diana."

"What of Dad?"

"On some level you don't want to know, it is much worse than even I could bare to look at."

"We are going back to Gotham now!"

"Easy, easy my time orphaned friend."

"You watch your reality, your time line slip away from you and you…"

"What do you think I have been dealing with Anika?"

"I'm sorry; this is just getting really out of hand entirely."

Back in Gotham, there is Bruce Wayne, committed to Arkham, and already under the belief once more that not just his parents' death are his fault yet so is Alfred dying, Barbara getting killed by Scarecrow, Gordon and Tim falling victim to Bane's deadly actions, and more. As for Dick he went underground to lead the Outsiders without going public for awhile.

"We really need to find out who did this before this gets any worse than this."

"It feels a little more certain now that this Aeon you spoke of is our most likely candidate… so where to next then?"

"The Monarch…"

"You can't be serious…"

"I am!"

They had to keep moving otherwise they were liable to run out of opportunities to catch Aeon.

* * *

A/N 1: Latest shifts in the latter half of this segment switch Wonder Woman from Diana to Donna. Barbara dies three different times, in three different shifts, but the last one to assume the space of her killer is the one who is responsible for the nightmarish real vision Barbara has off Bruce and her father at each other's throats over her death.

A/N 2: In one point in the comics Donna is listed as being Wonder Woman, well at any rate shifts are increasing again. Donna almost sees more variations of the present time up to the point that there is someone else in suiting up as Batman and patrolling Gotham.

A/N 3: Aeon, still some unanswered questions with him, yes it is a him, but its learned only by one of the conscious timeless captives that the belt in allows travel in time as well as insulating him against the shifts. Seems Aeon is also time storing not just things he takes from the past, but people he prefers to keep even as he changes history.


	9. Dead Man's Switch

S/N: Just when it could not get any weirder, I was doing some background reading before writing this part... you'll see why soon enough.

* * *

He awakens with a start to see, to feel, to hear, but he had been stuck here a long time. Someone had changed history, he knows he is not supposed to be here, he supposed to be dead, in the afterlife, but he is stuck in this sphere. It is infuriating because he is Wallace 'Wally' West aka the guy who used to be Flash. It seems as if he had a real body again, but as he looks around as if having broken whatever kept the rest of the 'residents' asleep, he sees others who are familiar and unfamiliar. He looks to his right and there he sees Lorder Batman, but it is weird, that is not his costume yet it is his costume, the one he would have after Flash died. He looks the other way and sees Diana except it is not her; the costume is again wrong yet not wrong. He remembers the flood of memories he got when he had seen four of the surviving six in the afterlife.

Someone is messing with history and time or rather with the actual flow of it. He had to get out, but how and what were the consequences if he did escape this sphere. He has to think awhile or else it is just wait here on someone to bust him out or fix whatever went wrong. Across the way is another row of chambers one with what looks like a male equivalent of Shayera, no it is the son that she had with John. There is also a female Green Lantern, another male in a costume similar to his old one, someone that looks like an older version of Kory, and the list goes on as far as he can see from where he is hanging from in here.

"Who has done this?" he yells at no one in particular.

_"My son,"_ answers a disembodied female voice.

"Who are you?" he questions her.

_"I am Ananke… matters of fate, destiny, and necessity rest with me… however my powers are being abused through technological means by a boy that I consider my son called Aeon."_

"What the heck?" quips Wally.

_"My husband Chronos… is the one who usually leaves time to do as it wills, lives to play out in their own way, and the possibilities unfold from all the pathways possible to each. There are realities of course where you are not dead, where none of these 'residents' are trapped here. However each of them belongs to a variation of this ever shifting temporary reality we are in."_

"Could you simplify that just a bit?"

_"The point is Chronos and I are not quite Gods in the way your friend, the first daughter of Hippolyta thinks of as Gods, but every so often either I or Chronos sires a child with a mortal though the mortal never knows it because we leave the corporeal body behind after the child reaches a certain age."_

"Child abandonment, yeah, that's the word right there."

_"We only leave because the body we are in can only withstand us being in them for so long without us becoming permanently stuck in them until the body dies, which is not problematic yet by staying in them we deny the host the right to their full lifetime."_

"I guess I can buy that, you don't want usurp their whole existence just long enough to have a kid."

_"We may seem immortal to others even those who truly are in one sense of the word immortal, perhaps even immoral, but in reality we shift in age and appearance throughout the year until resetting to a younger appearance in the next cycle."_

"Like the seasons?"

_"In a fashion… though I am sure your next question is how Aeon abused my powers…"_

"Right well you got an answer?"

_"I chose to appear again once I heard of someone attempting to crack the secrets of time and space, but of course he had barely begun yet when he saw me, I was stuck in this body I am in now. He's been using me to power his chronobelt. He has radically changed the history and events unfolding in your reality as the others are overlapping through the cracks he has made. Alternate versions of this reality are being seen thanks to Chronos bending the rules to let someone see them."_

"I thought you weren't allowed to interfere in mortal affairs."

_"Bend the rules without breaking them."_

"I see now… so who is seeing these visions if you will?"

_"You know her best as Donna Troy."_

"Donna? You are telling me Donna is seeing this stuff happen?"

_"Not all of it, she at first according to Chronos was ignoring them as fantasies; she seems caught up in things that have little to do with her fate or destiny."_

"I think Chronos probably disagreed to some point."

_"He did, he always does, it is predictable, but still he surprises me."_

"Lovers do that to each other."

_"Maybe that's why he is always surprise to see me even when it has been less than a century since I last saw him yet at times I miss because we were always meant to happen."_

"So what usually happens when you or Chronos has a kid with a mortal?"

_"Usually the child leads a typical life unaware of the supernatural pinch in them, but it usually manifests itself as an enhancement to their existing abilities so Chronos prefers to sire artists, crafts persons, painters, writers, and with more visual mediums so came television, photography, and in the last century or so cinematography I think it is called."_

"What about you? What's your mortal male of choice?"

_"I prefer those in the mathematics, the sciences, and so on if has anything to do with anything opposite of Chronos' taste in women."_

"You two share anything in common when it comes to partners?"

_"We are apparently drawn to passionate hearts and driven minds."_

"How do I know this is not all some kind of trick or test?"

_"You don't as Chronos would say, but as for me I'm sure you are up to the task."_

"What task…"

***

Elsewhere in the past/present day Gotham City, Detective Crispus Allen had been shot at the scene as his partner Anna Ramirez stood over his supposedly dead body. Allen gasps much to Anna's surprise, but they got lucky as the shooter is now in custody after nearly getting Allen suspended from the GCPD's MCU. The paramedics take Allen to the hospital yet along the way nobody knows that is not Allen in control of the body anymore. As he feels the face of the body, he knows he is apparently in a living breathing body again except it is definitely not his and even more astonishing after a quick surgery he learns who this body technically belongs too. The voice does not even sound like his, but whatever the cause some supernatural being had sent him back into the living.

Allen's partner Anna comes into the recovery room happy to see that Allen is recuperating well enough. Wally wonders if he should tell her, but it is probably too much after the possibility that Crispus is really dead and he is just occupying a body likely to die when he leaves it again. Anna leaves and it is that moment that he gets a shift vision except it is showing him Crispus Allen floating in the tank that he was in only a few hours ago. Ananke tells him through a telepathic link that he will have to locate Donna and the time orphan that still evades the tanks. He thinks back where to start looking and she tells why else would I have sent you to this body if not to find them in Gotham City. He thinks again well if these shifts are affecting anyone in the time period why I or rather this body not be affected by them. She thinks back at him you are already a spirit, those who are dead cannot be affected by the passage of time as from your perspective in the tank it was well close to half of one of your centuries that you were dead.

He makes a smirk with Crispus' face and thinks again that long, man that is a long time to be dead. She thinks again you still think like a mortal and he mentally retorts well I am technically still am. She thinks once more the words for him to relax and begin looking for Donna as soon as he is released from the hospital. However being in this profession might make task a little harder, but he has try with the fabric of time and reality at stake. At the same time, the sedative that the nurse just puts into his I.V. knocks Allen's body out cold.

He awakens the following morning to see Anna standing there again with a relieved smile and word that he is getting some time off due to the recovery from the gunshot wounds. The real line is that they want him to lie low until they figure out what to do with the man that took those shots at him. Mentally Wally thinks well this is pretty convenient, but as Diana might joke if she ever told jokes like his would say don't look a gift horse in the mouth or this case Trojan horse. He laughs with Allen's voice by accident instead of laughing inside.

"Something funny partner?" she asks with a grin.

"Nothing, I am just glad for a beautiful morning and some time off."

"That bullet must nicked something in your brain usually you seem eager to be back at the desk or on the streets."

"Believe me I am, but you know something Anna everyone needs time to step back and consider what they are doing with their lives once in awhile…well thanks for stopping by again sorry for the scare last night."

"Quite alright partner, you just enjoy your 'vacation' and not go looking for trouble from Maroni or anyone else for that matter."

"I intend to not make a second swing here in less than a week."

"I am holding you to it!"

Anna walks away and for a moment Wally is actually checking her out. He wonders if Crispus is attracted to her or maybe that he is getting a little too drawn in by having a body again. He mentally shouts at himself concentrate West… have to find Donna. He is back in street clothes and he wonders where Allen actually shops considering that this is nothing Wally West would be caught wearing if he were still among the living. He goes flipping through phone books in phone booths and still nothing until spotting a street sign that says this way to Themysciran Embassy so he decides to go there.

He flips out Allen's identification cards and a badge so they let him through then he heads up to what appears to be Donna's office. However when he enters there is someone else hunched over Donna's computer. He is about to ask the strange woman her name, but then Donna enters mentioning she heard a Detective Allen had come into the embassy so she asks him to follow her into the office.

"What can I do for you Detective?"

"It is me Donna!"

"Me who?"

He thinks to Ananke can I tell her, but of course Ananke thinks back why else would you be here. He thinks again is there not a catch for me to say I am so and so without her thinking I am crazy. She thinks for one last time at least for now that you can speak with your voice, but not often.

"It is me Wally West!" says Wally's voice coming out of Crispus' mouth.

"Hera!" whispers Donna.

Donna faints before the strange woman comes in from the other room.

"What did you do to her?"

"I am Wally West, the dead Flash."

"No time for sick jokes!"

"Ask me something only he would know then!

"What is Wonder Woman's favorite drink?"

"Iced Mochas!"

Anika gasps realizing that her mother's fairy tales about a place called Elysia were true. She also remembers father's stories about a man who died before her parents did some terrible things that would own them forever even when they tried to always do the right thing. Likewise her mother would also refer to a hero called Mercutio that went to Elysia, but in her father's libraries Mercutio is character from Romeo and Juliet who was killed in a fight between the rival houses of Capulet and Montague. Mercutio seems like a variant on Mercury or Hermes, the speedster or messenger with fast shoes among the Gods hence someone that could be a vague mythological or supernatural counterpart to Flash. The Flash that died before her parents were married was someone called Wallace 'Wally' West.

"Donna wake up, it is him!"

"How can you be sure?"

"Iced Mochas… Mercutio… Mercury… Hermes…. Flash," rants Anika.

"Slow down, man, your brain is like faster than mine like that."

"She probably gets it from her father."

"How are you alive or even in that body?"

"Let's just say a higher order is interfering with this mess that's been inflicted on time and reality."

"The Gods sent you?"

"Not exactly… I was sent by Ananke."

"The Mother of the Fates?" murmurs Donna.

"I guess if that is who she is… then that is her…. I remember waking up in a tank before I was in this body… she and I talked telepathically I think… something happen that she considers partially her fault…"

"What exactly?" says Anika in almost Batman like voice.

"It is a long story… but you know any stories of Gods knocking boots with mortals?"

Donna connects the palm of her hand to her forehead.

"I will take that as a yes."

"So you are saying Aeon is one of hers?"

"She told me that she and Chronos, her husband, often 'sire' kids with mortals, though whoever hosts them at the time will only be occupied long enough to do 'it'."

"Any idea who she hosted to do that with?" asks Anika.

"I would think she would have told him."

"Maybe she does not remember?"

"Supernatural beings do not have memory problems or age for that matter except maybe being in that tank is affecting her memory though not necessarily her powers. I wonder why Chronos has not come to her rescue yet; he usually enjoys saving her or occasionally proving her wrong and then taking her to bed to remind her of his eternal love for her."

It is Donna's description of the beings' relationship that makes Anika long for her own lover as well as restoring the time line because in her heart, her parents are the only ones that can make each other happy plus without them together she might never be born. If she is not born than she never meets him, she stops the thought train except her mind still skips to the dance she had with him the night she inwardly admits falling in love with him. Crispus/Wally waves his hand in front of her eyes and Donna jabs him telling him to quit it (because Anika is probably lost in thought).

Wally works out why, well sort of, probably her guy back in her present/future he thinks to himself.

Elsewhere in Gotham General, a woman named Peyton gives birth to a son that she never told Thomas about, but of course given his behavior before he left, Thomas would likely not care as his job at Arkham was the only thing that matters to him now especially one patient in particular. She somehow realizes it is probably a mistake to have slept with him in the first place given his personal history especially as she helped him cover up the fact that he murdered his own parents. She would name her son Bastian.

***

Twenty years into the future, Ananke's host body meets an older Bastian and mates with him. Bastian at first is mystified by this woman despite the fact that she is quite a bit older than him. However he surely finds her irresistible after a time and so before long they are like lovers until she leaves after a certain number of years pass with them raising a boy together. The man later known as Aeon was that boy.

It would also been around this time, maybe earlier or later that Bruce Wayne would retire as Batman if not for the shifts scrambling time line. As for the supernatural entity known as Chronos, he is busy with his latest conquest while controlling the body of a man simply called Mr. Walker. Walker already had a son with this woman he would refer to as my queen and soon she would be pregnant with a daughter thanks to Chronos. After wards he would leave once the boy got to a certain age and then the old tensions that used to exist between these parents would resume as they had before. History would remember them and their predecessors as the infamous Royal Flush Gang.

* * *

A/N 1: Surprise! Maybe not so much, but I suddenly had this jolt about a certain dead character from Just Like You. Courtesy of time shifts and supernatural body swapping, he is back, except he is walking around in the body of GCPD's MCU Detective Crispus Allen. Allen in the comics does die and has a very lengthy string of experiences with seemingly supernatural beings. All I knew about Allen at least until I read that was from his appearance in Batman: Gotham Knight, an anime anthology made between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

A/N 2: I liked Allen as a character because well he is a good guy even though he does not share his partner's views of Batman in B:GK segment Crossfire. Ananke when swapping Wally into his body understands that and believes this to be the most direct way to connect Wally to the women already on the trail of who is causing the time shifts. It is not like Anika and Donna cannot handle this alone, but the fact is Wally now in Crispus Allen's body knows a little more than they do about the source of this crisis.

A/N 3: Ananke in mythology is described more or less as this version of Ananke describes herself to Wally. As for this story's version of Chronos, he is of course not David Clinton aka Lord Chronos from JLU: Once and Future Thing. However both of them are apparently responsible to a degree for countless births through linear history, most of which until the not-too-distant future have not had any time or reality bending consequences.

A/N 4: I was debating who to make Aeon's grandparents so at first I thought I had it worked out, but then I realized I would be contradicting what I had been writing so far. However once again knowing a little more about comics now than I used to, I rewrote the end of this segment into the context of the latest shift placing Bruce in Arkham with a certain doctor as the current psychiatrist even though in the comics this doctor is not a psychiatrist, he is a plastic surgeon. Enter Dr. Thomas Elliot, better known in DC comics continuity as Hush.

A/N 5: Peyton Riley was romantically involved with Thomas Elliot, but as far as I know their relationship dissolved in the comics... once more fanfic AU strikes again!


	10. Asylum World

S/N: The bold lines are lyrics from a song that should be familiar if you have seen Donnie Darko.

* * *

**All around me are familiar faces**

**Worn out places, worn out faces**

**Bright and early for the daily races**

**Going nowhere, going nowhere**

Bruce is brought into Dr. Elliot's office with his hands restrained in such a way to prevent him doing a Houdini number on the Asylum staff again. He would always being trying to escape now and again except every time he got within any distance of going over the walls or through the sewers something stops. There is either an obstacle or actual people stopping him and this is the umpteenth time he has been brought to Elliot. Two knew each other as children, both of them survived their parents' murders, except Thomas' deepest secret is that he murdered his whereas Bruce's parents were murdered by an apparent mugger.

**Their tears are filling up their glasses**

**No expression, no expression**

**Hide my head I wanna drown my sorrow**

**No tomorrow, no tomorrow**

"The orderlies tell me you tried to escape again, something about finding who is 'behind' why you were sent here, but do we have to do this again, you were put here because you feel guilty to the point that you are denying having been remotely responsible for a total five deaths in the space of a week a few years back."

"Ripper killed Barbara, Bullock shot Alfred when he tried to stop Bullock from shooting Tim, Bane almost broke my back, Bane threw the Bat-Signal at me and Gordon, and of course Nightwing and Robin tried to save both of us except Tim…"

**And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad**

**The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had**

**I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take**

**When people run in circles it's a very, very**

**Mad world, mad world**

"Tim could hardly shoulder an old dying veteran of the force whose life you endangered on countless occasions and of course on the fall Tim died too because you couldn't see pass the dangers of costume vigilantism as usual."

A pause as Bruce shakes his head as if mentally denying that being Batman was killing others.

"We have had conversations like this or at least I think we have had ones like this every time I have been in this office."

Part of him believes Eliot yet part of him also believes that this is not right, for him to be in this position.

"They will continue until you admit the truth of what has happen… one other bad piece of news that's very recent."

**No one knew me, no one knew me**

"Your ex-fiancée Andrea Beaumont was killed while apparently going after the men she believed responsible for her father's deaths even though it was later proven that he was shuffling money for the same individuals who managed to kill Andrea."

**…what's my lesson?**

"Doctor why are you even bothering with me if you think I am lost cause?!?" asks Bruce.

"It is my job to look after the emotional and psychological well being of the 'residents'."

"I think it is more than that."

"Think whatever you want Wayne, but it is time for you to go back to your room, take this afternoon's round of pills, eat your meal, and the rest of the day is up to you though don't think of trying to escape again… it never works remember that when you consider trying again."

He is led away down the corridor back towards what's been nicknamed the Arkham Park, which is where all the famous 'crazies' are put away. Those on the right side of this corridor include Gil 'Janus' Mason, Veronica 'Velvet Vixen' Vreeland, Adam 'The Creeper' Royce, and Roxanne 'Roxy Rocket' Sutton. On the left side of the corridor one finds, Jack 'Ripper' Cross, Lyle 'Lock-up' Bolton, and Fiona 'Vesta' Vance. The standalone cell in at the end of this particular wing belongs to Bruce Wayne, and those who had known him out of costume mock him as he is brought along while those who had known him in costume only make gestures. If he were in more a confident as well driven mind would not save them from being knocked unconscious right now.

***

In this time line virtually none of the individuals that had become Batman's Rogues Gallery are villains, in fact many of them for all intents' purposes seem to have ordinary lives except for the fact that they attend frequent parties secretly held at the Stacked Deck. At those parties they dress up and pretend to be the bad guys to the witless servants who are kept silent by the fact they earn more money doing this stuff than they during daylight hours. The almost perverse nature of these party games would almost make Pamela Isley's personal secretary nauseous if not for the fact that when her boss dresses up, she kind of loses all inhibitions when drunk enough.

She recalls quite well the first time a drunken Pamela came onto her and she was not ready for it especially not when Pamela gave her a really hot kiss as she would later recall. As if a bizarre way to take part in the irregular costume ritual, she would go with Pamela dressed in a harlequin outfit. The outfit got the attention of one guy who usually shows up looking a bit like a clown, but in more sinister way with a disturbingly confident smile. She saw him very rarely yet when she did, she would be with him instead of Pamela. This from time to time made Pam jealous of the guy except she took some fun in 'stealing' her back when the party was over.

Pam's husband Harvey never really got wind of these parties except until someone mentions to him about these costume parties at the Stacked Deck so he goes there a few times as a mobster and surprises his wife. He is rather careful about how often he goes simply because well his job is more professionally important to him plus Pam is grateful for the infrequency of him turning up as she has more fun without him. In this time line, the two are married yet have no children at least not for the moment.

Finally there was the night that Pam's secretary invites her to her place as both are almost too drunk to go home separately so they take a cab. Pam takes great care with making herself unrecognizable in costume when she goes to these parties and luckily nobody figures out that it is her. The two women go a little further than usual when Pamela kisses Harleen again, but that far as both pass out after awhile from the exhaustion of spending half the night at the party. It is somewhat embarrassing the next morning, but it is still the weekend. Harleen lets Pam uses the bathroom to clean up and so forth before going home so she gets lucky again as Harvey is still sleeping when she gets there.

***

Meanwhile back at Arkham, Dr. Elliot is arriving for work and for new sessions with the 'residents' so this place is basically his purpose yet he knows Wayne is just a tormented mind except on one level he does not care as Wayne always had the better life. How does he believe this well because Wayne's dead parents loved him, Wayne's late butler was terribly devoted to the point that he died to protect Wayne, Gordon respected Batman to a point, and so on. It made him aggravated from childhood that Wayne seems to have the edge always in his mind even after having lost his parents to a double homicide. This was the ultimate revenge to have Wayne under his thumb like this yet otherwise the rest of them were just other subjects to shuffle through until the next round with Wayne.

He always feigns sympathy and nudges the cyclic thought patterns. Otherwise by night he would always torment Nightwing especially with photos of Wayne in Arkham, of the scene where Tim died, of the Batcave where Alfred literally bit the bullet, of many other such scenes. He was also aware of the night life of many of Gotham's currently revered elite, but he kept those secrets to himself for now. Chaos theory was always funny to pull on anyone so long as nobody could pull it on him and the only one who could that was her except she more or less swore to tell no one. However he is not inclined to believe that for long.

Pamela Isley's secret was the juiciest of them all with her having a paramour in her secretary, which is something her husband is clueless about whereas Harvey has been to these parties as well except he is an infrequent attendee. As for Pamela's paramour Harleen, she has been periodically spending time with Councilman Conrad Larker. Things were definitely getting interesting and he almost laughs at the fact that the parties are held at the Stacked Deck. It was dumb irony to say the lineup of you is my Stacked Deck.

Meanwhile in sessions Fiona, Veronica and Roxanne would flirt with him, which he didn't mind and some they found it arousing for him to 'reject' them. As for Gil, Adam, and Lyle, they often had to be restrained more so than Bruce. Gil would rant about Barbara 'betraying' him even he deceived her in regards to her father taking bribes from Maroni. Adam would go on about the girl that left him in college that being Harleen, which almost would a put sinister look on Dr. Elliot's face. As for Lyle, he had been the head of security at Arkham until he started being more aggressive towards the inmates, and it would cost him his job though by comparison if anyone had known the real Thomas Elliot, Bolton would look benign by comparison.

He uses psychology in much more verbal way than Jack 'Ripper' Cross ever did, but Jack was always more visceral except he tends to be more often in Dr. Crane's care. Elliot had long ago learned the back story of Arkham's founder and of course he had more in common with Arkham than Bruce insofar as killing his mother. Bruce's only commonality with Arkham had been his professed intentions to help Gotham even in Arkham Asylum, but Elliot inwardly chuckles you still can except from the inside literally.

***

Meanwhile Harleen is met by Councilman Larker for lunch and of course he is enjoying himself more than usual by saying let's go back to your place and you put on that harlequin number. She giggles and decides to oblige him because last night with Pam was not as fun as usual except when Pam forced herself on Harleen when kissing her with black lipstick. However it was always different with Conrad even though he would dress like some smiling psycho in a good pricey suit.

***

Elsewhere Nightwing or rather Dick is shredding more anonymous photos of all the old familiar dead people in his life. However he took some solace in the fact that he still has Kory and she is happy with him despite the fact they are in hiding most of the time. The Titans had disbanded years ago as they went on to go solo except that did not work so well especially after the government or more so Cadmus in this time line had turned on them. The Near 09 in this time line was stalled from the start when Talia killed her father to protect her son from his plan to eventually transfer his consciousness into the mentally unprepared boy. It took many by surprise how cut loose she went on Ra's but by large most were grateful yet once more things took a turn for the worse as old qualms resurface especially in Gotham so that is how Bruce ends up in Arkham.

***

**Look right through me, look right through me**

She saw him, saw her father, using high tech goggles to 'look' or 'see' through the asylum walls near his room of a cell.

It almost broke her heart to see him like this after all the good he had done in her memory and it would definitely devastate Mom if she saw to this she thinks to herself after turning around with tears in her eyes. Donna pulls the younger woman towards her as they get into Detective Allen's car, which was driven there by Wally in Allen's body of course. They had to fix the time line otherwise before long nothing that Bruce did as Batman would be left intact nor anything else done the other heroes elsewhere in the world.

**When people run in circles it's a very, very mad world, mad world.**

***

Meanwhile Selina Kyle is still around somewhere except like in other time shifts she is still apparently reformed though very much distancing herself from any feelings she used to have for Bruce. However she knows whatever happen those nights where so many close to him died as his parents had died was not his fault, but how she could hope to convince him of this notion. The world had slid into a far more decadent and corrupt place without him especially in Gotham even though the police still struggle to maintain a loose sense of order. As for his other supposed allies outside of Gotham they were entrenched in their own problems especially with that secretive Cadmus having turned on them after Near 09 plus they were still resentful of what almost happen with the Thanagarians, the Invaders, and neutrality of Themyscira in midst of several planetary incidents.

Amazonians while trained beyond peak conditioning, they would not fight out of necessity, they would fight if necessary, but not just because Man's World demands their involvement. They ruled themselves for thousands of years and usually kept the mandates of the Goddesses except to allow some level of contact by 'sending' Donna to be their voice after Diana's slip up especially when Faust made her retrieve artifacts to release Hades. It was in the midst of that she met Batman, but he had been reluctant to help her even though he had met Donna during the Invaders' incursion. The two never connected romantically because the situation then was strictly him, Superman, J'onn, and Lantern helping her to retrieve the artifacts.

She was not banished from Themyscira, only told to remain near the tower that alternately housed Aresia before Aresia attempted to poison the males on Earth. Diana had seen the winged woman that Donna told her was Hawkgirl during that time as well. The chaos that had spread across Earth had left mostly all hidden societies untouched including Themyscira. Luthor was still killed by Superman yet neither Diana nor Bruce was at his back that day rather it was John and Shayera. There was never a crossover incident into the Justice League reality so the only thing that stopped the Lords from going stewardship mode was the fact that Ra's had been preparing for such an occasion though he waited until things worsened.

He waited too long so that is how Talia got around to killing him except stopping him did not stop the madness that had claimed the nations worldwide so now they had settled into a more militaristic lifestyle. This is how people like Bruce Wayne, formerly Batman, end up in places like Arkham while the former Superman remains imprisoned following the incident where he lobotomized Doomsday. Shayera went into hiding with John at Fate's Tower yet there seems to be no child at the moment.

Familiar faces, worn out places, mad world, and more to describe what happen to reality.

* * *

A/N 1: I basically patterned this story's version of Elliot after his comics counterpart except as I wrote in the previous A/N section, that he is a psychiatrist that enjoys playing mind games with everyone especially Bruce. The other Arkhamites include Velvet Vixen, Roxy Rocket, Vesta, Janus,The Creeper, Lockup, and Ripper. Vixen is a stand-in for Poison Ivy except as already seen Ivy is still Pamela. Roxy is a thrill seeker except here she's a bit more dangerous than usual. Vesta is a flipped version of Freeze, so instead of a guy stuck in a cold suit, she is a woman who enjoys fires, kind of like merging Volcana with Pyro from the X-Men.

A/N 2: As for Janus, I already established him as a swapped version of Two-Face except he is more delusional and anti-social than Dent. As Dent is still D.A. as for this current shift. As for The Creeper, he exists in the DCAU though he is not quite that crazy. Also here is a stand in for Joker who is in this time line Councilman Conrad Larker, larker is a synonym for joker or jester. As for Lock-up, he is basically unchanged from the Lyle Bolton first seen in BtAS episode Lock-up.

A/N 3: Diana has been confined to Themyscira for some past 'transgression' that led to Donna becoming Wonder Woman instead, that transgression occurs when Faust forces her to get the pieces for the key to release Hades from Tartarus. She still met Batman, but they never really connected because after what happen with the key, its decided that Donna shall remain as their representative in Man's World.

A/N 4: The latest shift has also trigger a darker, more fantasy oriented side to many of Gotham's current elite including Pamela Isley pursuing a relationship with this shift's version of Harleen Quinzelle who also has Councilman Larker after her too. The costume party has them all sort of dressing as they would appear in the 'regular DCAU' reality. I'm also toying at the fact that Ivy and Harley are periodically brought up as having a sapphic relationship at least in the comics. Alternate reality, time line, universe, fair game? Maybe.

A/N 5: A whole segment featuring Arkham just sort of 'spilled out' onto the screen after I decided to insert an alternate version of Elliot/Hush into the story as well him in this story having a son that he knows nothing of and that son well being responsible for fathering the story's time travelling villain Aeon.


	11. Unforgotten

S/N: Really had a metaphorical brain jamming when I tried to write a follow up to Asylum World.... so here it is...

* * *

"What is your plan Mistress?"

"Tonight we break him out."

"Why do you help him still?"

"You wouldn't understand if you have never been in love before."

"Is he the father?"

"His genetics contributed to the birth of my son Darius."

"He was artificially made?"

"I love him as my son just as I love Bruce Wayne."

"Wayne was decided insane for what happen to the many of those closest to him."

"Perhaps, but my late father was far more insane at the end of his time."

"You were right to slay him, he had lost his way."

"Gotham needs him; the remaining heroes need someone to rally behind."

"What of Superman?"

"He is next, but first we must regain Gotham starting with Arkham!"

***

Elsewhere in Wayne Manor, the trio are struggling to sleep despite the fact that the shift visions are worsening for Donna as she has for the lack of a better description become the next Oracle while Anika remains restless as not even her childhood home is the same anymore. She recalls meeting a distant relative of her father's paternal figure of a butler. A woman she held in high regard especially after her parents' apparent murder at the Manor. She would later learn that their killer was a descendant of a somewhat reputable yet infamous assassin who was carrying out the legacy demand for the blood of Bruce Wayne as well any close to him especially offspring.

Their deaths however occur on the eve of when the shifts began to affect her present so would restoring the time line still leave them dead or not, which is another worry that preys on her mind or would they be alive as well she back in the arms of her winged lover. As she looks to the famed portrait of her grandparents, she wonders did they understand the depths that their son went to cope with the memory of their deaths and did they approve of his legacy, of her. The words of her maternal like housekeeper echo to her as she recalls the funeral held for her parents after their deaths.

"_I recall a conversation I had with my uncle Alfred many years ago before his death. He as you probably heard from your mother was a devoted man, and it would be poor to say he was just another loyal to the grave family servant. He told me of the things that went on here during his service to this family and to the Graysons. He was on hand to very end of his ability to deliver for this family; in fact he drove the car back to the house in the middle of a rain storm while your father comforted your mother in the last hour of her pregnancy with you. The man was already in his eighties by then and his body in less than ideal shape though still he drove just as he had the day Bruce's mother Martha was expected to deliver him."_

_Daphne presses her fingers to Anika's lips._

"_I'm not finished, Uncle always said your father often did the same thing to him, but anyway, he drove the car straight to the hospital. He describes your grandfather as being in such a state yet once it become clear she was going to have their child that day, he had Alfred stay with her in the delivery room as he himself would deliver the child with his friend Dr. Thompkins assisting. Martha as he would say was a true angel throughout even though she did squeeze his hand to the point of almost breaking it. He did not mind that part because at the end of it Martha had her delightful little boy, her little Bruce. Anyway at my age I think we are allowed to be very sentimental and say things like this where we profess a love for the gifts that come in deceptive sizes because to me once I had come to this household I had begun to see why he loved it to his last day. This is his legacy, to look after the family that entrusted him with what he called the most precious part of their whole world, you see that is what you are to them just as Bruce was to them. I want you to remember that always and I do believe a certain Mr. Stewart is looking for you now."_

_Her eyes moisten as she puts her arms around Daphne Pennyworth._

"_Thank you Daphne!" she murmurs through her tears._

"_Always Mistress Anika," answers Daphne with a sigh._

_Warren enters in a dark overcoat and Daphne leaves them alone for now after removing the lids on food trays she set out for them to eat together._

"_Take off the coat, you won't need it now."_

_He removes it and sets it aside just let loose his wings. She smiles at him then walks over to kiss him. He almost folds his wings around her and she leans her head against his chest._

"_I had almost forgotten how warm it is to have your arms and wings around me."_

"_I had almost forgotten how quiet it is to have your kiss and eyes on me."_

"_You do know the way to a girl's heart don't you Mister Stewart?"_

"_I only do because you have let me find it."_

"_Not easy to get there, to stay there, or let you either."_

"_Must have done something right somewhere or some when."_

"_Catching me on the way down, dashing in a suit, talking the way you do, sure we have flaws, but there is a beauty to them plus there are those eyes of yours… owe your mom for that one."_

"_She used to ask me what made Wayne's daughter fall for you and I would say do you really have to ask that one."_

"_What did she say to that?"_

"_Silly me, the eyes get them every time, did with your father, but of course he also said wings."_

"_Smart lady your mama."_

"_Yes though so are you."_

"_I think I am going to have to kiss you again Mr. Stewart!"_

_She does and while doing so one leg tips upward as she arches with the other foot to bring her more level with him given that Thanagarian males are often slightly taller than Thanagarian females. She had tall parents too yet something always made him taller than his parents after awhile too. After being close like this awhile they finally settle into eating before getting cozy by the fireplace and Daphne sets to cleaning the dinnerware before retiring for the evening. It would be another night to remember in his arms and he is the only one to ever call her Aki like her mother did for a long time until she told her mother to stop doing that except mother kept doing it._

_Aki means autumn which is the season that Mother says she had become pregnant with her and they were in Japan that autumn so she took Aki as a pet name for her without knowing the gender. Her full name as she is told means very beautiful, which is something she often disagrees with no matter how infrequently she is told this except when it is her mother or more so now when he says it. It is often something that many are inclined to believe in because the beauty as her mother or Warren tells her starts on the inside. One wonders where he got so romantic, was it his mother or his father, or maybe just him._

_He usually manages to stop the thinking side of her personality, which she often attributes to her father by kissing her. It was like that silver screen actress she loved as a child that would say things like a kiss is made for when talking becomes superfluous and she mentally adds thinking to what Ingrid said on the subject. It would be moments like this that made her love him even more and she wonders if Mother ever got this caught up with Father. She thought it probably did happen from time to time. He sure did have a way with words and she kisses him back, guess this qualifies as dessert she thinks until he asks if she feels comfortable with him staying the night._

_She leads him up to her room and they slowly undress each other until retiring for bed. She tells she is ready, at first he does not understand until she makes the first move, and so he responds in kind, which makes a grin on her face. She and he go further than usual as her body responds to his though she is cautious not wanting to harm him or his wings. He reassures her not to worry so their bodies flow as if they were dancing like they had done so at 'family' parties for years. She sighs and he merely breathes on her so she presses onward as if trying to compel to do something she believes they both have wanted for years._

"_You sure you aren't wanting this because of?"_

"_I am sure, I love you Warren…"_

"_I don't want to do this unless we are clear…"_

"_It is… now stop talking… just dance with me now."_

_He proceeds ever so slowly yet his touch flows the curves of her body and he goes she reacts to the joy of becoming closer to him. She turns the sheets on him by pinning him after awhile and gives him his first taste of her taking control so all he does in response is to smile at her before reversing the situation. She marvels at his wings in the dark of the bedroom before caressing him with her fingertips. It is more than just a night to remember and it would be this night among others that he has in mind when he chases after her when she had come to his rescue._

_She went to get closer to him after their deaths, but then worries about the beginnings of the shifts put a weight on her she thought had lifted once they had become more serious as lovers except it had not, she had only kept it out of mind. Her father often had the look of always looking over his shoulder no matter how happy he seem with mother and often he could be found staring at the portrait of her grandparents. The pain of loss is something nobody ever completely heals from, but of course following him from time to time to the site near the Monarch told her that much about him aside from his great strength of heart and mind. His spirit however is another story, but of course her mother also had stories of Themis._

_Themis is the patron goddess of justice she learns from Mother and she often spoke highly of Father because Themis would typically say things like he has done so much good in my name that I could never repay him as his loss is deeper than most. The beginnings of healing were in his marriage to Mother and her birth, but even so there was a lot of burden to lay down even after that such is the case with those who believe that nothing they do will ever even the scales. However the compulsion to shield others from such a fate is what drives him on, but many would ask how does anyone hold onto to whatever anchors them to such thinking, the reaction among any number of his responses is this all I know of this world._

_The only things that prove me wrong in the moments without such thinking are her eyes on me, her lips on mine, the smell of her hair, the taste of her intensity, the feel of her arms around me, and of course her love, which by extension the love from my daughter. It is what they have given me, drawn from me that save my soul or my spirit. This is what Themis told her warrior of the warrior's knight as the knight professes of the meaning to him to come back alive when risking all for people who do not know him as she knows him._

_Her Mother had countless tales like this yet this is how Mother saw Father even when he seem down and dour, this is her view of him, even as she realizes he is not always the ideal man, as there are no ideal men or pedestal women. The tales are meant to infuse one to believe in the better aspects of being while learning to love the parts that others are so guarding of because they don't want to be seen at their worse yet to truly love, one needs to love the whole all the way. As Anika finally drifts to sleep in his arms the second time she made love to Warren, she feels safe in his arms, and he could always be very persuasive too. _

****

A hand clasping her shoulder in the past-present stirs her out of her flashback. It is Wally with a sympathetic smile and so she opts to hug him wishing she could have known when he was alive yet this is just as good for the moment.

"I bet you were remembering something that happens back in the future."

"You are right 'Uncle' Wally."

"So who is the lucky guy?"

"His name is Warren..uhh.. Warren Stewart!"

"No way, any relation to my buddy John?"

"His son… and Shayera's son."

"Who would seen that one coming?"

"I don't think even our parents did, but our mothers were quite happy about it."

"I bet Bats or GL made a crack about hey you are probably doomed to be a father-in-law now!"

"I couldn't say for sure, but maybe one of them did."

"I would laugh a lot for that one, just another reason to fix the time line, weddings, kids, and the family back together again… does Donna know the details?"

"She has seen some futures, but I don't think she has totally worked out what is what with me and Warren."

"She always was a smart cookie, if she does, if you want to tell her, I think she would be cool about it and besides restoring the time line would probably make a lot of people forget the nuts stuff that happen in this one."

"I hope so cause these shifts are making me miserable because we keep getting further away from my memories of the future and what little I know of past from my parents' stories."

"I bet Diana becomes a phenomenal bedtime storyteller and well Bats probably is a close second or maybe you just read his enormous libraries of books."

"He always encouraged me to be an avid reader, which had come in handy because he took joys in talking about them with me or teaching me chess or the piano. Uncle Richard taught me all about mechanics and well let's just says that having an array of former costume 'relatives' was always fun, always fun."

"Yeah we always had fun until things got way too serious with Luthor's schemes."

"Uncle Clark would always get a twisted look on his face if anyone so much as spoke too much about some things from the old days yet Aunt Lois, she is such a fiery lady, after Mom, I enjoyed her company the most. As for Donna well she always would ask for me visit Themyscira in the summers, which I did do, meeting the Amazons was amazing."

"I met them a few times of course they were not too friendly to me, but then again I was a bit immature and kind of a slacker compared to Bats or Supes or even GL. I think they really respected Shayera after a certain point despite whatever went on with her people. I always thought your mother quite bold and boy did she love Iced Mochas from the start."

"Although I never met you, it always felt like you were with us in their stories of you and to think I fell in love with your namesake, I mean Warren."

"So they kind of named your wingman after me huh, you old softies, man, I feel really honored y'know."

"You should, I mean you believed in all of them even when the world seem to be at its worst."

"The thing with faith is you never understand why you have it, you just have it, and as for atonement, you have to let others forgive you though not before you forgive yourself. Your mother and your father had to go through that alone then face others forgiving them together."

"Aunt Donna told me about that, but Grandma Hippolyta had more to say the subject being still immortal and all."

"Grand lady that queen, I'm sure she knows I think highly of her despite having been at Diana's side when Bats went missing during the Near 09's climax. She was pretty upset after all they had just gotten back together in those days and of course that's when Shayera was still pregnant while staying at Fate's Tower. You met those two? Nelson and Inza?"

"Yes, they had kids of their own too, quite mischievous with magic and of course Zatanna's boy Jonas, which means Dove in Hebrew though I doubt she meant that on purpose however once he had begun practicing magic under her tutelage as well as Fate and Inza, his signature act was making doves appear."

"Quite colorful and lovely stories, makes me feel like I could be there."

"Maybe in the restored time line you will be."

"The thing was I died in what I believe was our original time line, but hey who knows?"

"Thanks Uncle Wally."

***

The doorbell rings so they head for the front of the Manor and there to meet them is Talia shouldering Bruce Wayne with the help of Solomon Grundy. This version of Solomon exists as a result of a shift remaking him into an individual akin to the so-called creature in Shelley's Frankenstein. Anika gasps at the sight of her father yet is careful not to reveal her origins to the woman that mothered her genetic half-brother Darius. Donna arrives at the sound of the rain now pounding on the windows. Talia with Solomon settles Bruce into the Master bedroom.

"Donna Troy, I would not expect to see any former Justice Lords here, but then your team fell apart with the conflict between the world's nations, the costumes, and paranoid organizations, but then I'm grateful, grateful to help in any way I can especially if Dr. Elliot discovers this breakout yet I'm sure he knows by now if he has woken from Solomon knocking him out."

"This is Detective Allen and an old friend of mine Anika Black."

"Good to see an honorable cop again as well as a fellow woman warrior."

"Yes we are glad for unexpected allies too, so we have planning to do I am sure."

* * *

A/N 1: Writing a follow up to the last segment Asylum World proved to be harder than I expected simply because Asylum World just slid out my mind into my fingers and onto the screen. This one however went through multiple iterations before settling into another kind of Anika centric chapter except there are references to her childhood with her parents as well as the family housekeeper.

A/N 2: The future housekeeper is Daphne Pennyworth, who in the comics is listed as a niece of Alfred, so in the original or somewhat original timeline she is the Wayne Manor housekeeper in the future after Alfred's passing. She does however provide a similar role to Alfred's especially during the events that follow Anika's parents demise at the hands of well what's later determined to be a descendant of Thomas Eliot exacting 'revenge'.

A/N 3: Of course I already established Aeon as a grandson of this distorted reality's Dr. Thomas Eliot, yet it just as easily may have been someone else that made the hit against Anika's parents given the description made of their killer from she can vaguely recall plus what an investigation reveals of the incident.

A/N 4: Likewise Anika's relationship with Warren is far more than just purely romantic, it actually enters the realm of physical love at times too. Of course I really went out on saying that the costumes behave like a family especially with holidays or get togethers, it is plausible to me and of course I'm going off the concept that family is not always blood related too. It works that way in the Bat Clan and often it is so with some of my closest friends too.


	12. Purgatory Descending

S/N: Meanwhile on Themyscira things are not much better for the Amazons especially if a certain someone is up to something....

* * *

"Mother what is going on?" queries Diana.

"You know why we had to put you away in this tower."

"Yes I broke the rules by bringing men here to help me recover the key that Faust was after because his magic petrified our people and Donna."

"You also said nothing when Aresia went missing before that plague nearly annihilated mankind if not for the boldness of Batman and the bravery of the one once called Hawkgirl."

"How was I to know what Aresia was up to even though we both shared this tower?"

"Her behavior should have been a clear indication to any of us, but you were there when she took off to leave to enact her plot."

"I told you about the books that I found with Hawkgirl, but still the disappearance of the original armor is a mark that never is gone from me."

"There is a new problem as Faust has gotten his hands on the Annihilator armor made by Hephaestus for Ares' use in the Kasnian Civil War, which had almost literally destroyed the people of that land if not for Donna's interference."

"I would kindly ask that you stop bringing up what Donna has done and opposed to my mistakes. I realize I have turned into a grave disappointment for a first daughter whereas Donna had become the favorite, the pride."

"I am merely stating facts, and it is not to put you in your place…"

"It hurts just the same, but back to your point for the moment."

"The Goddesses have decided that someone must stop Faust from retaining Hades' domain as it is beginning to mess around with supernatural and magical elements of the world."

"Who is to assist me if anyone?"

"Before Dr. Fate succumbed to the Chaos Magic, he sent the former Hawkgirl, one Shayera Hol to us thus leaving Inza and John Stewart to look after Fate. Fate understood that we have kept a strict women only edict so he sent only her."

"Because of her mace's ability to affect magic?"

"Yes that and she is shown herself a capable of warrior by our standards."

"So am I to be armored for this journey?"

"See Atalanta… she's already working on the new armor for you and Shayera."

In this time line, Diana and Shayera are not friends, they know of each other, but never fought together.

"You are Donna Troy's big sister, I would have thought they would have sent you to be the Wonder Woman," comments Shayera.

"It might have happen if not for the disappearance or believed theft of the original armor, see what she wears is the replacement for it so it lacks the unspoken weaknesses of the ones I might have gone on to don," replies Diana.

"So I take you have heard what has happen to my friend Kent, I mean Dr. Fate."

"Mother told me, I believe we can fix this problem by stopping Faust."

"I thought he was dead at least from what Batman told us about how Hades apparently killed him."

"Someone or something anchored his spirit to this world so that he could steal a suit that feeds on warfare and battle. A suit commissioned by Ares to be made by Hephaestus named the Annihilator it was used as a weapon of conflict in the Kasnian Civil War until Faust stole it in order to take his revenge on Hades."

"Then let us to get to it then, I trust your armory is up to speed."

"Atalanta is ready I assure you of that and what happen to your team?"

"Troubles with the world's governments prompted a disbanding, but things only worsened once we went our separate ways especially for Batman and Superman. Batman's out of costume life went down the toilet and Superman's got his own little Promethean corner too."

"Has Man's World lost its mind to torment its own heroes like that, in the past they were and infrequently tormented by the supernatural yet now it is their own people to do this to them!"

"I don't have any answers, but Batman seem the most broken from little I saw of the outside world while staying at the tower with John, with Green Lantern."

"Terrible fate for them, but I can hardly imagine what their surviving loved ones are going through."

"Lois is left to conceal she is pregnant with Superman's offspring while Batman is stuck in Arkham Asylum last I heard, neither sounds well to me, to be damned for mistakes viewed as monumental and unforgivable is worse than being slain by villains in my mind."

***

Diana's armor is of darker shades than what it has ever been in any time line or reality, but of course to be marked and set apart in one's own world is always blunt in emotional and psychological way. As for Shayera, it is a true contrast to Diana's new armored look to such a degree that many that they meet on the way to the depths of Tartarus are afraid of her. It nearly delights Shayera and so Diana uses a variation of the lasso on one demonic creature to learn where to possibly search for Faust.

"Where is he?" growls Shayera.

"The libraries, Hades' magical department!" whimpers the demon.

"Anything else?" demands Diana.

"Your friend is scary with the weapon; she works for the Gods doesn't she?"

"Just lead us in the direction we need go!" shouts Shayera.

"Fine, but when we get there you take this thing off me, truth stings worse than hunger!"

"Will oblige, now move!"

The trek towards the gateway to the libraries takes an eternity plus one, but then again what is time in a place like this where one without the shackles of damnation would prefer to be anywhere else except forever in a hot place. Once within the library, they attempt to advance on Faust, but he springs the library's stone statues on them, which Shayera smashes through with her mace whereas Diana attempts to pummel the Annihilator until she remembers its weakness. The supreme lack of fighting would shut it down in theory except somehow Faust has beaten the catch on it or so it appears yet as they close to attack again they are drawn down into an abyss.

There is often a casual mistake to think that a hell, a purgatory, or any other place like it is truly a fiery place all the way through, in truth there are levels of ice, of snow, of frost, of chill, of many kinds of weather, but each is playing games with the mind of the dead. The greatest tricks are those that can deceive even the minds of the dead that go into the lines that bring them to places like Tartarus instead of places like Elysia. The sensations are technically not suppose to mean anything to the dead unless they realize by being dead their perceptions and senses are only acting in memory to something similar from being alive.

It brings a whole new level or meaning to ghosts if one believes that anything survives mortal death, which seems indisputable if you are walking around in the coldest nerve tripping regions of Tartarus. Hades bound to a rock face and vultures circling such the fate given to Prometheus for giving fire to mortals, but of course Faust had literally aged to death by the touch of the transfigured Hades years ago as Diana had seen firsthand.

"Prodigal Daughter of Hippolyta to my rescue, some strange twist of the Fates, if I ever really trusted those three after all these years I believe is the word mortals use to describe some passage of time, another of their words to name and dissect the eternity that we as Gods have known well forever."

"I'm only here to return you to your throne to restore the equilibrium in the world."

"The equilibrium has been disrupted by far more than Faust's schemes yet it is a step in the right direction. The fabric of time and reality are at the core of this though I doubt your mother would fully recognize this even being an immortal herself. "

"What are you ranting about?"

"Right why am I telling you, with the way things have gone, you'll forget what I said sooner or later, the shifts as some have been calling them are messing everyone's memories as well as the linear course of events for the better part of time especially recent events."

"Let's just deal with Faust first and then you can say whatever you want."

The trio work their way back to the library and Faust does put up something of a fight even going so far as to almost knockout Diana before Hades steps in the way to breathe fire on the undead sorcerer. However Shayera is on mop up duty as she starts shredding the Annihilator with her mace, which ultimately weakens the suit to the point that it is useless even to him. As Shayera helps Diana to her feet, something almost seems familiar to be fighting together for them except Shayera shakes it off by saying I miss battling alongside others such as your sister.

"She was taught by the best, but of course I always knew she would be a great fighter even when my own acts might have just as well led to this situation."

"I too know something of being condemned on some level by own people for stopping their effort to the end the war between my people and the Gordanians. They sought to build a hyperspace bypass on Earth and of course I could not allow it even when it meant 'betraying' them to stop the deaths of billions. Victory does not wash my hands clean of that much blood."

"I crossed my own lines to stop Faust the first time and still I felt some level obligation to stop him this time."

"A clever woman and a wise man both told me in different ways that what matters is that is being there when or where there is a need so that even no one else knows, at least we know that we did what we had to do on that day, at the hour, in that minute."

"Who were or are they?"

"Kent and Inza Nelson… better known to the costume world as Dr. Fate and his wife Inza."

"Well I do say this for them they are very thoughtful people, but of course opening yourself to the world that needs you whether you or it admits it, opens the way to understanding."

Back on the surface, a purple hued portal appears and Inza steps through to direct Shayera back to the Tower leaving Diana standing there with her mother.

"I believe Donna has made good company in Man's World Mother."

"I tend to agree especially in the sorceress Inza and that Shayera."

"Perhaps she could come home for a visit?"

"I have tried contacting the Embassy, but no answer, they say she's away on business though I am unaware of anything. However there was a mention of Gotham having troubles that have gotten worse with a mass breakout in the past few days including the formerly heroic Batman being among those not brought back yet."

"Batman lost a lot of allies because a single death triggered by one of his foes."

"How could he expect his behavior to be indefinitely tolerated amidst a den of foes worse than many villains of the myths?"

"We had stayed apart from Man's World more than enough since the few occasions where some of our numbers left to love, wed, and spend mortal lives among them."

"What good did it do any of them except to doom their offspring to a destructive environment?"

"Not all men are negatively affecting their realms, surely he had may setbacks, but we do not know the whole story even with what we can see through the Fates or the portends that reveal Man's World occurrences to us."

"You think I have a grudge against men don't you?"

"I think you have pay too much attention to their mistakes which while numerous, there are slivers of hope to redeem."

"If history had gone differently I might be more in mind to share your views, but the fact is their wars have been increasingly catastrophic in the past century alone with a death total in the high billions due to weapons that dare I say approach the start of Gods' power. Forgive me for that my Goddesses."

"I'm sure they do, but I am not going to lose faith simply because they keep managing to find new ways to kill each other. Something about these nightmarish dreams give me hope for them or need I remind you of the smuggler captain that saved Aresia from drowning too?"

"No, I just find it hard to hope after witnessing as much as I have compared to you, to watch the descent of even the best of humanity is enough to give me pause and desire to keep our people as far from it as I can despite continuously training all the Amazons to the peak performance."

"You think we will have to fight humanity?"

"If they ever discover us still hiding from them despite maintaining some level of diplomacy then yes we are at risk."

"I hope that you are wrong."

"On some level I would prefer to be wrong too, my sun and stars."

"You haven't referred to me like that in years."

Elsewhere Circe approaches an injured and dying Barbara Ann Minerva aka Cheetah with an offer to avenge the treachery wrought against her by the Amazons in particular by Donna Troy as well as the old sister that trained Donna. She also directs Minerva/Cheetah to the splinter tribe of the Amazons that had remained hidden for centuries. The tribe of Bana-Mighdall led for the time being by Antiope though Circe grants a parting gift that she would be able to take Amazonian form in order to come in to come in on their side for the War of the Tribes. It was a scheme masterminded in part by Circe and others who desire the annihilation of the Amazons.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Let's just say I have no great liking for Hippolyta or her people or do I care much for Antiope's sect either, they are just pawns in a game that has been playing out forever."

"Works for me, but what happens to me when your plan is done with?"

"I am only going to say, you'll be happy with the results and that you won't have to worry about anyone getting in your way again."

Circe vanishes in a swirl of greenish dust as Cheetah now in Amazonian form fakes staggering towards the border of Bana-Mighdall where she is met by Karna and Cheetah assumes the identity of Miri. She claims to be of Amazon birth and due to the effectiveness of someone else amplifying Circe's spell casting, there is no way to disprove it. Furthermore years of on and off fighting against Donna had made her quite a match for Donna though never enough to beat her. However again the magic amplifies Cheetah or rather Miri to the level of Amazon fighting ability and the tensions between tribes while relatively down from the Schism, still linger, something for Circe to stir of course.

"I bring warning that your wayward sisters of Themyscira are considering coming after you again as the Wars of Man threaten to destroy everything that the Amazon nation stands for."

"Why come after us?"

"They believe you will be part of what brings about the destruction of the Amazons and Man's World."

"They are wrong; it is their error to have tried to work with Man's World though no doubt Hippolyta realized that except now she's lost it thinking we would be bring about such misery and destruction to the world."

"Why did you come all this way to tell us this?"

"I wish to join you in the defense against this unprovoked attack."

Circe also manages to gain the assistance of Maxima; a woman scorned by Superman and thought it the height of pleasure wreaking any kind of havoc on his adopted home world. Maxima using technology that is Earth nation equivalent stages a phony attack on the island, which she fakes defending against after arriving from Almerac only days prior to the incident. The witch had arranged a meeting with Maxima through her human guise that knows Whisper A'Daire who has access boom tube technology as a member of Metropolis' Intergang, which proves useful in making contact with Maxima in the first place.

A false string of credible evidence links both tribes to appear to be planning military attacks towards the other. Two almost identical fake offensives were made against the two Amazon hidden societies. Both sides deny hostile intentions and both sides do not believe the other especially with enough rubbing from Circe's agents so begins the War of the Tribes while the rest of Earth's nations are on the verge of their own international conflict for the first time in decades. It really did qualify as a welcome to purgatory moment though nobody felt humorous enough to make that joke.

* * *

A/N 1: In this current time line, Diana and Shayera never worked together so having to save Hades is a new experience for both of them though I patterned that lead in after the JLU episode The Balance, where Diana and Shayera have to restore Hades to the Underworld throne after Faust turns up to unseat him after their partnership went kaput in Paradise Lost.

A/N 2: Atalanta, she is a woman credited in mythology as a mortal heroine and in the t.v. series Hercules Legendary Journeys, she is gifted at the forge, kind of making her a lesser rival to Hephasteus. In this story she is one of the Amazons, typically one who forges weapons and armor with tools given to her by Hephaestus of course.

A/N 3: Bana-Mighdall as I have read is a splinter tribe of the Amazons led by Antiope, so in this story/time line, she is still the queen. I also inserted Cheetah masquerading as an Amazonian woman Miri (means bitter). This disguise is provided by Circe who is looking to drive the Amazons into war with each other just as the world is sort of stumbling towards all out war itself. One might ask why the world be going to war well someone is stacking the deck, shuffling the board, but again the question is who? That's just another mystery in already screwy reality of a the current time line.

A/N 4: As for having Circe work with Cheetah (enemy of Wonder Woman in regular continuity) and Whisper A'Daire (enemy of Superman in regular continuity), that's all part of someone else's plan. Especially as Whisper has access to boom tube tech in order to bring Maxima of Almerac into the fray. Maxima in at least some of the comics was eager to bed Superman as a husband, he of course rejects her. This kind of carries over in this reality/timeline as he turned her down in order to pursue his romantic interest in Lois.

A/N 5: As for what happen to Superman while Bruce was at Arkham, just imagine if you will that when he went rogue due to Darkseid messing with him, that Lois wasn't able to spring him out of military captivity immediately like she did in StAS Legacy.


	13. Bloodlines

S/N: As if an impending Amazonian Civil War was not enough... here we go again back in Metropolis and Gotham!

* * *

"How many times am I going to have to get between you and them?"

"How many times are they going to keep trying to kill me because of what happen before?"

"I don't want to fight with you, it was hard enough convincing Dad that you were psychologically duped, but of course I begged him, pleaded with him that Luthor was using his own dislike of you to fuel Hardcastle into trying to kill you."

"I did a lot of regrettable things in my life even if it was under Darkseid's manipulation of me. It would not be my place to sneer at them and shout hypocrites, but that's what they were, one Superman size slip up and I'm done."

"Funny thing, that's not that funny, was meeting that other you a couple years back in that alternate reality where you partnered with Luthor after Intergang somehow managed to kill me."

"If someone did kill you, I would lose it, I love you, but of course more than just people in Metropolis fear me. They are right to be afraid of me with these powers."

"They don't know you like I do, and they don't know the man behind the costume or without the suit, now come on your parents are expecting us for dinner."

"When you are right, you are right, and it is as you said time to…"

The apartment is rocked by RPG fire.

"What in the world?!?" growls Clark.

***

Lois is unconscious on the floor with bits of the ceiling on top of her. He speed rushes to dig her out then flies off to get to her the hospital. However along the way someone piles drives into causing him to fly stumble towards the ground leaving Lois to roughly regain her own balance despite a concussion. Clark looks up to see the clone that Cadmus made of him and the clone of Supergirl who took the names Moros and Invidia. As Superman and Supergirl are at best cousins, the two in the worst mind bender imaginable behave like lovers as their combined push down on Superman is enough to make him react in some amount of pain as they kiss each other.

"You didn't think General Hardcastle would not learn how your lovely lady traitor used her father's pull to get her a way into the base to break you out after your multiple transgressions?"

"My only regret after nearly this many years is that he still can screw with everyone even me, even from beyond the grave!"

He does a super clap throwing both of them backwards.

"It looks like you will need some help Superman," says a voice.

"Kara?" asks Superman.

"Remember in public its Supergirl!" jabs Kara.

"Right, is Lois safe?"

"Question's people have her."

"That's a relief, but who is Question?"

"An old acquaintance of the Bat Clan."

"You sure we can trust him?"

"I would say with the number of enemies we have nowadays, you have to be a bit trusting!"

"Sorry…"

"It is okay let's just deal with these sick wannabes okay!"

Supergirl takes on Invidia, this time line's version of Galatea whereas Superman is left to face Moros who resembles some Bizarro in skin color while his powers are the inverse of Superman's abilities. Superman and Moros pummel away at each other whereas Invidia takes immense pleasure in bashing Supergirl's face into the pavement. The four continue the fight above, below, and of course it is not a matter of exhaustion, rather it is how long anyone withstanding the fighting.

"You might as well surrender to your fate Man of Steel, you and that treacherous cousin of yours is doomed!"

"Never going back, I made my mistakes, but you two are like avenging zealots!"

"How cliché of you, time to end this!"

As Moros closes in for the finish, Superman vanishes in the flash of a teleport beam as does Supergirl leaving these two quite furious before the two start beating on each other as each considers the other at fault for the escape. However after awhile there is a twisted level of tenderness for the amount of bruising given to each other.

***

"How did we get out of that one?" questions Superman.

"Vic gave me teleport pins, I stuck one on me and the other on you after before we fought those wannabes."

"Smart, where did he get them?"

"That would be Superman," says Peterson

"I thought you were still angry with me for what happen with Darkseid."

"Your wife can be very persuasive, how else did you think she got that far inside to break you out?"

"Right you were the one to warn years ago about Luthor stockpiling Kryptonite to kill me with."

"You also have Agent Faraday here to thank as well as his organization is the anti-Cadmus, sorry, I had to make a joke now and again to avoid getting too serious."

"It is alright Professor."

"I think Hamilton took your behavior too personally, I mean yes you are a wonderful individual, but you are as fallible as the rest of us, your physical weakness might be Kryptonite, but there are other things that humans are fallible too with psychological torture and what not."

"Yes, I never meant to threaten him, but Kara was dying, I had to do something."

"You have any idea who was attacking their hidden apartment?"

"Weapons analysis points to Intergang."

"Intergang also has a long standing grudge against you though I'm sure you know that."

"You are only as good as your last big save," grumbles Superman.

"C'mon let's go check on Lois!" chirps Kara.

Lois had been sedated after the pickup in Metropolis, but fortunately they got to her in time to protect her and the child growing inside her. Clark's expression softens when she grips his hand with a weak smile on her face before pulling him towards her for a kiss.

"Come here handsome!" she mumbles to him.

Kara decides to give them so alone time before going over to Helena and Dinah. Oliver had unofficially taken the wheel or charge of the Outsiders following Nightwing's abrupt departure from the team. Nobody could quite work out why he left so quickly stepping up in the wake of Barbara's death. Her killer was locked away in Arkham, but then so was Wayne, some people in Gotham blamed Wayne more than Ripper for her death. Wayne was likewise implicated in the negligent deaths of Commissioner Gordon, Timothy Drake, and so on, but some did held the notion that many were overreacting to the latest deadly fumble. Kara misses Barbara dearly as the two were unexpectedly best friends after teaming up to handle Velvet Vixen, Roxy Rocket, and Live Wire after Live Wire escaped custody on the way to Arkham.

"In recent news, a mass breakout at Arkham still leaves many stunned as well as straggling to recapture escaped high security level inmates include the former Batman. The breakout was engineered by parties presently unknown, but presumed to be acquainted with Bruce Wayne. GCPD MCU Detective Anna Ramirez refused to say more as Gotham is now beleaguered with both super criminals and a criminal underworld that remains ever so difficult to nail even with the vigilance of the GCPD in its alliance with D.A. Harvey Dent."

"The news is not much better elsewhere in the world with independent agents having to handle global troubles alone with a unified front to counter this mess together, but of course the government strongly disproves and even went so far as to ban anyone from forming a team without prior approval."

"So that makes it all right for them to unleash their own engineered metahumans or cloned aliens on us?"

"It makes nothing right because Lois is a civilian who happens to be involved with Superman, but of course her part in two separate breakouts for Superman in less than ten years puts her on a list too."

"She's with child who does that to a pregnant woman?"

"Someone who obviously wants to kill both of them plus the unborn kid."

"What makes you so sure Sage?"

"Latest rumor mill junk on Cadmus, they fear a hybrid child and they still fear costumes in general too."

"It cannot be that simple."

"Once you eliminate the improbable, no matter how impossible, it is likely true, the same can be said that tear down the edifice and ignite it, all that's left is the apparent ashes though in reality, what it really is that they fear being wrong and they fear having their preconceptions snapped like twigs."

"You sound unnaturally sure of yourself Vic."

"Usually I am quite close to right or to what is left to consider Oliver."

"Not debating that part, I just don't think this where we would end up with all we have done for this world."

"When enough people are ready and willing to believe the worst, they will because they are afraid thus looking for someone to save them, so who they turn to the government that's given them the cause to be afraid in the first place."

"How do we dispel it then?"

"We cannot because fear while one of the more predictable responses, how to trigger hope is very unclear now because much of what had given them hope now gives them fear."

Kara enters to find the two breaking up their on-going debate and Oliver goes off to see Dinah who is also a little worn down despite still being in the early stages of her pregnancy with their twins. As for Vic, he is busy at his desk with all sorts of notes, tack boards, and all other sorts of evidence as he still seems to be trying to work out the plan that Cadmus has the world governments believing in to this moment and beyond.

"So what can I do you?" quips Vic.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing with your investigation."

"At present, I believe Cadmus is very much unaware how much of Metropolis' troubles are being engineered by Intergang and its on-going alliance of a sort with certain elements from Apokolips."

"I thought they were forbidden from interfering on Earth after High Father's declaration that Earth was under New Genesis' protection."

"They are not directly doing anything, in fact what it is… is that someone is supplying weapons through a third faction… specifically to Whisper A'Daire's off-world relations with Maxima of Almerac… a woman who retains a grudge against your 'cousin' for spurning her for Lois."

"What about Hardcastle?"

"Hardcastle is still fuming about the second breakout from several months ago, but Lois got assistance to do it through her father coordinating with Agent Faraday. This is also the second time that Lois had to bust him out through assets tying back to her father General Lane."

"How does Lane know Faraday?"

"Who do you think is one of Faraday's high level insiders?"

"No wonder he knew where the clones were going!"

"Right, well, that has to stay between us, all of us otherwise his life will be in jeopardy for nothing."

"My lips are sealed; well I'm going to sneak my way back to Smallville to check on the folks and Lana."

"Low profile, you remember that!"

"I will no worries Vic!"

Vic plucks out the aerosol before taking off his mask, he had gotten over the scars, so did Helena, but being stuck in that prison was not an experience to remember yet of course he had fought to stay alive for her. The darn thing was all a joke on them by Luthor who had killed Flash with a shotgun no less, but Superman was laid low by a Kryptonite blast when trying to get to D.C. to stop the killing. Luthor would later die when Cadmus decided he was too manipulative and insidious to be left in charge for long so they sent their clone of Superman to finish the job while the actual Superman was still incapacitated. False video evidence links Superman to the second and actual killing even though that was not him. Waller quit Cadmus after one too many questionable projects and several unnecessary assassinations.

She had argued to her last breath that Cadmus had fallen into the grips of madness, but her death was quick at the hands of the Kryptonian clones. Waller's so-called defection was taken as a betrayal by Hardcastle except not everyone shared his view yet they put her projects into the hands of Maxwell Lord who was given charge of the Ultimen and as well as Waller's project the Valkyrie Flight. The Valkyries include five women exclusively chosen for their metahuman abilities to serve 'global justice', which is a deceptive way of saying super power on the side of the government only in some cases.

The Valkyries include several high level metahumans. The first is Mara strong in telekinesis among other things relating to telepathic powers. The second is Rowena gifted in ferrokinesis, which makes her quite flexible with metals of any kind, yet rates her slightly lower than Mara. The third is Elektra with a well developed and honed sense of what it takes to manipulate all kinds of heat sources without the added need of a fire regulation suit like Fiona 'Vesta' Vance. The fourth is Sirena with powers similar to Black Canary except hers tend to be more than just a sub-sonic call, she can affect all manner of sounds to the point that it could kill someone from overexposure. As for the fifth and final Valkyrie that is Vedette, which if only would catch the irony of her code name is that it means Watchtower.

The Justice Lords' Watchtower was taken out of orbit to destroy the Thanagarian Bypass in the Sahara Desert. The Lords' themselves however were not so casually forgiven for letting the Thanagarians build the thing without revealing they already suspected deception based on what little Shayera had known about the war between her people and the Gordanians specifically given that Gordanians were on the verge of winning. Shayera's pretense to be on her people's side earned a lot of hostility except with the Lords had knowing the real story more or less about the former Hawkgirl's allegiances. However the Lords in time apparently had become suspicious of the fact that Luthor had authorized several weapons projects that would endanger the relative peace and stability following the Thanagarian Occupation.

Flash's death in this time line was triggered by him acting as covert surveillance, but Luthor had suspected a Lords' infiltrator from the start plus the whole weapons development was a charade to trick the Lords into appearing aggressive. After that Flash or rather Wally was publicly executed in this version of the time line though of course the real time Wally West is isolated from the shifts courtesy of being dead plus time swapped into someone else's body. It was a fairly appalling discovery to learn a lot of this for Wally now in Detective Allen's body. Events were more scrambled than ever, but somehow this was to expected as things would only get worse before they get better as his grandmother would tell him as a child.

The world again seem ready to tumble into war as factions were forming with each side carrying some kind of super powered being on their side, but it was not just one, rather several to each.

***

Meanwhile Donna reports she has been unable to contact Themyscira so she just may to travel there herself except in her increasingly shift vision affected mind, someone will have to go with her so Anika decides she will have to go then.

"What about Bats?"

"You stay with him," says Donna.

"I thought seeing him back to sanity matters a lot to you of all people."

"It does, but Mother could be in danger too."

Anika slumps on the recliner next to the stoked up fireplace and tries to sleep if that's possible right now.

***

Anika occasionally would awake with a jolt in the middle of night to hear Bruce's babbling in his sleep. She went to his bedside and stayed there every night simply because she did not know what else to yet she had to be careful she thought because of Talia. However Donna basically elects to make sure that Talia does not know what the deal is aside from the fact that Donna claims Bruce was some fatherly again to the daughter of a woman he helped a 'long' time ago so Talia left it at that for now.

***

_"FAILED! FAILED THEM ALL!"_

_"Calm yourself, I am here!"_

_"POISON, I have been pumped full of something."_

_"You were drugged, very heavily 'medicated', but it is wearing off, now relax please."_

She almost said daddy like she used to say to him when she was a little girl yet it went on like this for days as the drugs were still in his system.

She pats her father down with a damp cloth and so she continues like this not knowing how much longer it would take to bring him out of this except for the fact that someone had to do this, so it might as well be her doing, because she is daughter, will be his daughter so long as the time line can be reset, even if the future is not exactly the same as it she recalls it. At least she would hopefully have her family back, that was all that matters, and to have him back as well that too.

***

After several days, the debate had not exactly subsided nor could they really decide who would stay or go given that Bruce had taken some twists for the worse even with knowing what Eliot did with Bruce's so-called medications in Arkham. They finally resolve to go yet before they can board the Invisible Jet out from the darkness emerges a familiar costume.

"Then you are going to need my help," says Bruce in the Bat voice.

"You sure do bounce back fast Bats."

"Wait a second why am I hearing Wally West's voice out of this man's body?"

"Long story Batman, see I am technically back, but using someone else's body."

"Right, well if Donna's home land is trouble then we have to go."

"What about Gotham?"

"I already contacted Dick and he will be taking over from here though he has been reluctant to work with Talia's splinter group except for now they will have to work together to recapture those who do belong in Arkham provided that Commissioner Marcus Danters does capture him or the others in order to get to me."

"You certainly bounced back from a protracted Arkham stay a lot sooner than I would have expected."

Talia enters with a mixture of what she had been giving him to counteract Eliot's psychotropic drugs to keep Bruce under the delusions that made it simpler for Eliot to keep hammering away at his mind.

"Believe me finding a way to neutralize those drugs was not easy. He was in worse shape before we got him here so I kept dosing him until I could be sure it was working before I gave him larger quantities."

"The drugs must have been doing something to keep from really doing much."

"Of course, but he is not fully recovered, I insist you stay behind and let others work the field."

"You know me well enough Talia to know I'm not staying on the side lines."

"Same stubborn Beloved, well one of you will have to make sure he keeps taking the antigen otherwise he will snap back because the concentration of Eliot's drugs in his system are still too dense."

"Right well we better get going, all of us, and thanks for your help," says Anika.

No way for any of them to know the world is about to find itself on the brink of war while the Amazons are about to face each other in closed quarters combat someday soon as well. The four board the Invisible Jet just as Danters' handpicked recovery team storms the Manor only to have to fight against Talia's followers. Talia looks to the sky and whispers good luck Beloved before slugging Danters' choice for a team leader Harvey Bullock. The jet kicks into afterburner mode on course for Themyscira.

***

Meanwhile Aeon takes note of a shift in the time line that pertains to an Amazonian Civil War after the Near 09 so it would be something to investigate at some point should he seek to do so. Likewise someone is still acting in costumes, which is tiresome, but just makes for more collectibles to acquire.

"As for you my ageless Mother, your attempts to 'fix' what I have done I believe will fail!"

"You underestimate to your own undoing, but that's one of my last lessons to you."

"Whatever you say, see you at another time."

He jumps back to steal from Bana-Mighdall and Themyscira.

* * *

A/N 1: Metropolis in the grips of Intergang! Lois still pregnant in this time line. New characters Moros and Invidia, clones of Superman and Supergirl respectively except in somewhat perverse way the clones have developed a somewhat physical attraction to each other.

A/N 2: Faraday's organization still exists in this time line plus he has help in the military in the form of Lois' father General Lane. Brief appearances by Vic Sage, Oliver Queen, and mentions of their ladies.

A/N 3: Elliot drugged Bruce really badly. Arkham breakout is news. The present GCPD commish is a pastiche of several that did not like, trust, or believe in Batman like Gordon did. Danters is vaguely similar to Danforth from The Crucible, reputation and being right matters more than doing right and being unpopular.

A/N 4: Aeon isn't the only villain causing trouble except most of the other bad guys are oblivious to him courtesy of his time jumping.


	14. Avatars

S/N: War of the Tribes begins?

* * *

"What do you make of this Miri?" queries Antiope.

"At the very least she can fight, plus she had come all this way to warn us of our former sisters' plan to attack us," answers Karna.

"I would not take her word at face value," comments Magda.

"Why do you advise caution?" questions Antiope.

"Aside from that one off attack so far there has been no reprisal plus they make the claim that someone simultaneously attacked Themyscira," remarks Magda.

"She does have point Karna."

"I'm not inclined to trust that suspicion especially as Themyscira has lately earned the ire of some of the Gods and Goddesses except for a staunch few that remain on their side plus we have kept out males, they have had men there quite a few times in recent years."

"Not enough justification so they irritate the Gods… when have we not done the same?"

"This is a deadlock, I tire of this."

"I imagine Hippolyta is having the same argument."

***

"As a royal compatriot I urge you to consider my help in defending Themyscira against your former sisters," begins Maxima.

"Donna warned me about you that you were often causing trouble for Metropolis' Guardian Superman," retorts Diana.

"That is ancient history, right now you see Bana-Mighdall is developing advanced weaponry to use in their assault to your kingdom, you really willing to risk the kingdom on your dislike my past behavior?" questions Maxima.

"She is right daughter regardless of what she has done to Superman, we cannot prejudge here for her weapons stop their weapons from damaging the settlements near the coast line."

"As you wish it then."

Diana trudges off trying to hide her annoyance until she hears an oddly familiar noise though where from she cannot place it. She rushes to the Temple of Artemis, which houses the relics and weaponry in Amazonian history. She could not place why the intruder looks familiar except some flicker distortion alerts her to a weird feeling of déjà vu. She tries to catch the person except the individual holds the Staff of Penthesilea.

"You have no idea what that staff is capable of!" shouts Diana.

"I think I know more than you think disgraced daughter of Themyscira!" responds Aeon.

"Who are you?" yells Diana.

"No you will remember in a moment."

He blasts her with the Staff, which is strange because the staff is only supposed to work with a feminine touch. Diana crumples badly hurt from a direct staff blast. She is found after Aeon vanishes for Bana-Mighdall.

"Diana!" cries Hippolyta.

"You see I warned you!" remarks Maxima.

"Find Phillipus now!" orders Hippolyta.

"As you wish it fellow Queen!"

Hippolyta cradles Diana in her arms while praying to the Goddesses for help to heal her injuries. One by one they begin to appear except their numbers are thinner than usual as some have apparently gone to investigate what happen at Bana-Mighdall with the injury of Magda when the Eye of Pallas is stolen. The Eye is also an Amazonian artifact from the Trojan War rumored to have been responsible for delaying the Achaeans ability to return home except there was one hero that Poseidon's daughter Pallas lamented using it on. The humbled Odysseus yet in the end it was she who had made a pact with Athena to return the warrior king home.

When Athena asks after what changed Pallas' mind, she told her I trust you remember the troubles he went through with Circe and Calypso. Athena says she does yet claims he has broken his word to Penelope except Pallas chose to remind her of all the times he would stare in he believe the direction of Ithaca. Athena remembering how she favored the hero for many years decides that enough chaos has befallen Ithaca besides his turned mortal Amazonian wife needs him because no city can be taken back alone. The power of the Eye is the power to ruin armies where the power of the staff is far more benevolent at least in the right hands.

"Someone broke in and stole the Staff of Penthesilea," says Hippolyta.

"The same someone I take shot Diana with its magic," continue Maxima.

"Where is Gaia?" asks Hippolyta.

"I am here, I would ask you to leave us, and I must tend to her wounds on my own."

Hippolyta exits the Temple of Artemis with Maxima just as Phillipus announces that they are ready should any further attacks be made against them and war with Bana-Mighdall seems increasingly likely as nobody except the unconscious Diana had seen the intruder. The Staff according to legends had not been used as a weapon before at least not since Penthesilea's death and as for why it was brought back to the island was to keep it out of mortal hands. It had been well learned that not even women could be fully trusted in recent history. The view towards the mortals of Man's World was varied though there is a serious level of consensus about men.

***

"What news about Magda's recovery?"

"The healers are with her, but the Eye is gone."

"Someone has stolen it? An agent of Hippolyta?"

"We will not know until Magda awakens."

"Right, well prepare our forces immediately; if we must attack them, then we will do so."

In the shadows, Miri grins mischievously knowing the plan is in motion and hopes that Circe's other agent is holding up her end of the bargain. Eris appears besides her twirling an apple between her fingers.

"Circe up to something and she's calling in allies instead of doing the dirty work herself this time, which is certainly new for her usually she prefers to be up to her neck in it, but she does know how to pick them with you having history with Donna and that Maxima having history with Superman."

"Who are you and what is with the apple?"

"The name is Eris, goddess of chaos!"

"Why are you here?"

"War between the Amazons, who wants to miss that!" giggles Eris.

"One supernatural sorceress is enough for me."

"I'm not here to do anything except watch for now."

"Then do that and stay out of my way."

"You might want to watch out for Aella though; she is suspicious of you still even with you getting Magda to the healers!"

"Right-o Chaos Lady!"

***

"So who are you exactly?" asks Batman.

"My name is Anika Black, you helped my mother against a bunch of hoods years ago."

"I don't think you are telling me everything, but I sense that you have good intentions."

"I guess we can leave it at that for now?"

"For now."

_**I wonder how she got by being his daughter, well she did have Diana for a mother so I guess that balances out somehow. Strangest thing is I have not had any flashes of Kyle or Roy in days so what happen to them.**_

Donna shakes her head, but then there's another shift or rather a double one.

_Kyle never came back to Earth because Stewart stayed on as Green Lantern without the crossover that got him depowered. Roy remained on the job working for Faraday as the Lords averted Near 09 with Talia's help when she personally killed Ra's before he could hijack the Cadmus Binary Fusion Gun. Donna never got back together with either man plus meeting up Dick after he was back with Kory did little to dispel how romantically isolated her life had become without someone special._

_The two different versions of Nightfire appear again in a shift vision of the future where one looks more like Donna and the other who looks more like Kory. There is also a Nightfire out of costume confronting a much older Faraday about her genetic origins. He explains that genetic engineering became necessary to save to her as infant because there had never been a human-Amazonian hybrid before and in a similar vision the other version of Nightfire demands to know why they never told her about the fact that she is half-Tamaran. It was a mistake in the vision, the other that resembles Nightfire in costume is actually someone called Nightstar._

_The one that looks more like Donna out of costume was born to Dick and Donna after many years Dick lost Kory to attack by Deathstroke. The one that more strongly seems to possess Kory's powers is trained by Donna who due to decades of visions is barely able to manage merely training the new generation of costumes. Both daughters in separate time lines assume part of their costume identity from their father and both instances Dick was relegated to be the maintaining costumes for the daughter as his age and physical condition sidelined him._

_Both daughters in their mutual time lines took up Nightwing's place as Bludhaven's protector while having a rough association with the new Batman. Bruce had reluctantly trained Darius to assume the mantle once he was old enough, but of course his objections were toppled by the prospect of a Gotham going too long without Batman. Danters lost his position following Nightwing's bogus arrest for arranging the Arkham breakout. The man clearly had it in for Batman as Deputy Commissioner Renee Montoya saw it. She understood better than some that Batman felt guilty beyond measure for the deaths that occurred during Ripper's killing spree and anger at having his oldest friend killed by a cop._

"Donna!" shouts Wally.

"What?"

"You were in one of those shift visions again."

"I know, but something happen again, not all good either."

"Anyway to go any faster?"

"Only one thing left to try, pushing all afterburners to the red line!"

"Just hope we don't get blown to bits."

"We'll be fine, and this jet is tougher than it looks."

***

"It has been awhile has it not Starfire?" quips Deathstroke.

"You, how can you be here, you are not suppose to find us!" gasps Kory.

"Where art thou hero?"

"I can handle you myself!"

"Like to see you try!"

She starts blasting away at him except being the assassin he is just keeps dodging until his hand is around her throat then he squeezes her neck, which rapidly disrupts her concentration to fire at him again. She asphyxiates to death in his grip before leaving the body to be found by Nightwing and soon he would join the gathering team up of Arkham escapees. He knows that Nightwing and his new allies are searching for them. The lack of a Batman makes the evening all the more enjoyable even though someone told him that Wayne is still alive though out of country.

***

_The time line where Nightstar is born fades away until there are only schisms of a time line with only Nightfire. Nightfire becomes romantically involved with the son of the former assassin Cheshire who turns out to be the son of Roy Harper as well who had a bit of romance with Cheshire in the past._

***

Lois clung to Clark a lot the next time he had come to check on her after he had been out patrolling the perimeter of the Arctic bunker setup not far from the Fortress. It was decided to relocate there as soon as it was safe to move Lois. She was still getting over having a ceiling almost crush her. It terrified him to almost lose her like that and because of those two perversions of Kryptonian DNA. Hamilton would live to regret making those clones because they were the real problem without the code that Clark struggles to cling to even when losing Turpin and almost losing Lois more than once in the past.

"Enough heavy thinking for one day Smallville!" murmurs Lois.

She kisses him deeply and tries to make him look at her eyes like he always does in the morning when they often wake to the sight of the other still half asleep.

"Only have eyes for you," mumbles Clark.

"You betcha!" answers Lois.

"Any ideas for names?" asks Clark.

"Getting a little ahead of ourselves are we?" jests Lois.

"Curious is all."

"If it is a girl I was thinking Lara like after your birth mother if you didn't mind."

"I'm sure she would love it, and what if it is a boy?"

"Liam seems like a good name to me."

"I like it too."

"Liam or Jarod… well whatever we name him or her, as well as any other kids is up to us, that's what matters!"

He kisses her and glad that the situation in Metropolis settled down after their getaway. However that by no means ends Moros and Invidia coming after them.

***

Circe summons both Maxima and 'Miri' to a meeting at sea as the two fleets are preparing to engage finally with both Diana and Magda down for their doubts about what could prompt a war between Amazons. However 'Miri' mentions an encounter with Eris, but Circe seems unconcerned that the Goddess might merely be going spectator.

"Need not worry my devious avatars; now return before someone notices your absence!"

* * *

A/N 1: Circe refers to her agents as Avatars because of course they are pushing her ploy for war plus the time traveling Aeon steals two very important Amazonian relics, which ensures another link in the chain to bring on the war that is shown to occur in the shifted future, but how would he know well, being a time traveler might answer that, though not entirely.

A/N 2: Some of the Bana-Mighdall Amazonians originate from the comics version of them. Antiope is actually dead though for story purposes, she isn't, well that's the thing with comics, people 'die' only to be resurrected or retconn'd from the dead.

A/N 3: New shift visions reveal that Donna pairs up with neither Kyle or Roy as Kyle never took over Stewart's spot as 2814 Lantern whereas Roy never left Faraday's organization to date her again. Roy instead had a kid with Cheshire aka Jade Nguyen as he did in comics except instead of a daughter they had a son. The son incidentally in one time line becomes romantically involved with Dick's daughter with Donna who goes by costume identity Nightfire. As for the time line where Dick is with Kory they too have a daughter who goes by Nightstar.

A/N 4: Nightstar only shares the costumed identity with Nightstar in Kingdom Comes. Meanwhile Batman tries to work out while Anika seems familiar though he buys her explanation for now.

A/N 5: Diana is temporarily out of action as is Magda due to attacks by Aeon except nobody saw him do it leaving the opportunity for Maxima and 'Miri' to frame the other tribe as responsible.


	15. Things Unsaid

S/N: The italics are alternating inner thoughts of Bruce and Diana. Bold lines are lyrics from two different songs.

* * *

_It is increasingly harder to stay conscious, but the depth of this water is affecting everything. I don't see the others, must get to the surface, must reach them, and must do something other than drown here like this. Breathing is getting to be more of a struggle and it feels like I'm blacking out from the lack of air. Water getting inside, gag reflex kicking in, and what is this I feel another mouth over mine_

His eyes widen upon noticing her holding onto him with her arms and her mouth.

_A strange sensation to breathe into his mouth, she told me of this thing called mouth to mouth, but could this also be what she calls kissing a man. He is barely conscious yet aware of my presence, the pressure I'm applying to his mouth, breathing air into, but of course he probably believes he is dying too. Strangest thing is I'm starting to find him attractive and I have no idea why other than he reminds me of the faint memories from Donna of another man who dresses similar to him except younger._

Her mouth to mouth with him shifts that much closer to a kiss as she pulls him to the surface.

_It is confusing is she trying to save me or kiss me. She is a beautiful woman, what am I thinking, what is making me like her all the sudden, I have never seen her before except when she was taking those objects back to that loon Faust. I'm holding to her as if my life depends on it except I don't let my life depend on others, others tend to depend on me, sure I had crime fighting partners, but this is different, something else is going on here. What has she done to me?_

She hovers just above the water still holding him after he regains full awareness.

_I wonder what he looks like under that cowl, but I suppose I will learn someday unless he prefers not to be seen without it. However I am curious now, what is he doing now, he's kissing me, what is this feeling in me now, the urge to hit him yet he is distracting the urge with something else, a want to kiss him back. Who are you masked man, what are you Batman?_

He kisses her for something he is unable to work it out except she is kissing him back.

_She is kissing me for certain this time, before it might have been just for air, but this is different, this is me wanting her. She is assertive, forceful, but someone has obviously seen us by now. The question is what the deal with that strange girl is, and why she was so vague about whom and what brought her to my old family home. She seems familiar yet I cannot place who or why to it._

She releases her mouth to mouth lock on him before lowering herself back towards the shore yet they are still floating over water deep enough for him sink in again.

"You all right, tough guy?" she jests at him.

"Just put me down!" he grumbles at her.

"If you say so!" laughs Diana.

"Now wait a just…" retorts Bruce.

Bruce falls straight down into the water. He resurfaces with a bemused expression on his face knowing the water was not deep enough to be fatal; she was toying with him, if Amazons were capable of such things. As for her, her interest in him increases now.

***

However her mother demands her presence as well as Donna and this other woman. It is apparent not all the Goddesses are attending this meeting as many are not happy about Themyscira militarizing against the prospect of war with Bana-Mighdall. The Schism was allowed for the sake of peace between the disagreeing sides centuries ago so one wonders what brings about this resurgence of violence.

The split happen after the Trojan War following the death of Penthesilea who had become mortal in order to be with her lover Achilles except he was killed before they could consummate their relationship as he was slain by Paris. Paris sought to avenge Hector's death at the hands of Achilles who was avenging Patrocles' death by Hector. Hector had mistaken the younger Patrocles for Achilles during a one on one fight, but the error only became horrifyingly obvious once he took off the dead opponent's helmet. The deaths of so many were staggering except the wars in Man's World would only grow to become more destructive through the generations ahead.

As for heroes among mankind, they too would be fewer as the wars had become more numerous. Penthesilea however did sire a child with Achilles and the child would have descendants that fought in each of these new wars. It seems like a destiny except each time the descendant would rail against such notions. Penthesilea's sacrifice was seen as needless by so many among the Amazons that would follow Antiope whereas those who went with Hippolyta held to Penthesilea's belief in the good in men. They were a flawed kind yet so were the Amazons as nothing knows perfection, not even the Gods, for perfection does not exist except perhaps in the instances of a desert bloom, the first bloom in springs, the scent in the air before the rain, and so on.

The matter of interpretation is all that seems to divide anyone yet can it really be that simple? Nothing is assured though often some continue to attempt to fulfill some way to end the perceived cycle of destruction especially among mankind. Those most recent include Ra's Al-Ghul, the Demon's Head and Aresia, the so-called renegade Amazonian. Ananke had seen them both stopped due to the determination of heroes that would get in their way so again Chronos is correct about the few that will defy even the grimmest of futures she keeps seeing like him.

Together they had seen all time, for them time is not linear, and so they both would continue their curious pattern to mate with mortals as they had seen that none of their offspring would damage time except neither had foreseen Aeon. Aeon is like all the anomalies that neither could often predict in seemingly sporadic individuals like Batman or Diana. The anomalies were always the thing that not even these two powerhouses could see around or through, but the language to describe the perception of time is too imprecise in spoken language.

Aresia was also an anomaly just as Ra's was, but deciding who is or who is not depends on how much of their life line or fate line can be seen by those who see beyond sight, into the realms of what one might call a multi-verse or an interlocking matrix of time lines or realities. However the anomalies are the one thing that their chosen seers can see because they are not bound by being nonlinear. This is why the two entities of nonlinear depend on those like Donna to decide what happens to the flow or the essence of reality or time. Time becomes a matter of the place where one's plots collide with one's purpose.

The near cerebral nature of this debate between Chronos and Ananke continues because they are outside time except when siring offspring with mortals. Ananke and Chronos could not foresee Aresia just as they could not foresee Penthesilea except something a schism between Amazons occurs to both of them. Ananke sees that the Amazons would divide over the Trojan War before it had begun whereas Chronos had seen that the war ends fatally for more than just the Achaeans and the Trojans. As Cassandra she had seen that 'Briseis' try to come between Achilles and Paris after the deaths of Patrocles and Hector.

She could not save her lover yet she would carry on his bloodline. She however would slay Paris over Achilles. She could hardly live with herself after that yet she had to for the children. She would bear twins that would be separated at her death. The separated twins would begin separate generations of their own that would fight on the opposite of all wars since the fall of Troy except the far flung descendants of those children would meet again in time. It was neither destiny nor determination; it was simply the path that lives would take across generations.

***

Aresia without truly knowing it had come to share the beliefs of the Bana-Mighdall tribe who did believe mankind would ever overcome its self-destructive behavior, but it is a half truth fully embraced by degrees. Some are stronger in the believing this idea that mankind can never be trusted with the world as their wars will quite possibly one day to destroy it completely and their horrors were realized in the modern age of weaponry since the atomic bomb. The worry is natural except when considering how far some would go to stop it except that threat of near apocalypse went away with Ra's Al-Ghul's death months ago.

***

However he is not the only one who had plans to stop mankind's ability to destroy the world if one is certain that mankind is the real villain or virus. The only problem is here the sides again fail to notice someone playing them against each other using the same fears, hatreds, worries, and anything else that already originates with them. This is the trouble stuck to Chronos or Ananke which is to see all time lines, all realities that can transpire, which on one hand means this reality or time line is no less valid than the others except for those who have seen beyond.

This is the danger he had often bestowed on those who would not abuse it to their own ends though often there is lacking belief in those given foresight, which places Donna Troy in a position akin to Cassandra during the Trojan War. Chronos could not see why not to grant either woman this ability even though they had grown unstable for having the ability too long and belief in their words of alternate routes eventually made even their strongest believers falter. It was upsetting, but how else could those in peril see the other routes. He did not believe in destiny as his lover Ananke did, he believes that anything is possible except with each passing shift his conviction wavers a little more yet it is the determination of Batman that inspires him. A mortal inspiring an immortal what a concept yet his lover apparently had chosen a mortal hero as her charge as well, the one called once known as Flash, now in the body of Crispus Allen.

However he also had conviction to believe in the drive of certain women as well especially one in particular. One that makes him wonder what it would be like to have a child like her, one that would not be bound by the catch of seeing all realities and time lines as he and Ananke do, but that is why she is a time orphan of two heroes still alive in what she calls the altered past. He almost envies her though more so how proud her parents would be if they knew who she really is except she conceals it because it means so much just to be with them. What could it mean if a nonlinear, if an immortal could weep for a mortal or feel anything for that matter?

The two tribes are racing towards war and there is nothing he can do to interfere because it is the right of mortals to effect their own pathways even when he has seen the routes except so far they had done well enough alone. The bending of ways is the most he or Ananke could do by means of shift visions and temporal shifting of a dead hero, but as for the rest that is up to them as the outcomes all rely on what the linear beings do in any reality or time line.

***

Diana baths in the steam pools far from the city, a spot she alone had been using since being let out of the tower and its surrounding gardens. She usually baths in the nude and it felt natural to enjoy herself for once as her mother seems more optimistic about her for taking the opposite stance to those who think war is their only option. Her mother did wish to war with Antiope and she could only that Antiope would share the sentiment.

Someone is watching though she knows how to be alert or at least she believes so until someone trips one of her traps made using the same kind of rope as Donna's lasso.

"You care to cut me down?" says the voice.

"You spying on me Batman?" she says to him.

"You enjoy snagging me like this don't you?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"You kissed me earlier today."

"You kissed me back."

"Your point?' he queries.

"You enjoyed me kissing you so you wanted to get me back."

"I don't know what you are talking about Princess."

"Nobody refers to me by that title anymore, most just call me Diana."

"Do you prefer Diana?"

"Do you prefer Bruce?"

_How did she find out my identity?_

_I got him finally, well I took a page from your book Donna._

_She is more clever and provoking than I thought._

_He is off-balance or I think he is, now to see that face of his._

"What are you doing now?"

"Time to get a look at the rest of your face Bruce."

"Don't even think about it!"

"What are you so afraid of?"

"What do you want from me?"

"To see your face, to experience these things I have never felt, never seen!"

"Why?"

"I don't know… it is just something I can't explain except when I kissed you it felt right."

"Then find your answers… because I don't know what else to tell you."

She tears away the cowl to reveal a severely scarred face except there is nothing to it only that man behind is merely tormented yet driven in his mission to protect what matters to him even when so much is lost to him. She takes him down and they learn each other's bodies for the remainder of the night because he thinks he can live again through her. The Goddesses have no cause to object because he treats her body like one of their temples for what would does one towards that which is sacred to one. As for her, she merely wishes to know this mysterious man who had come to her aid once and she had to come to his as he were ready to die except when she saved him, he did not wish to die anymore only he at a loss as to what to live for now.

Gotham still matters to him, Dick is still someone important to him, but his spirit just was not in it anymore so he gone to Themyscira because he did not know where else to plus something about that Anika had made elect to go. He vaguely remembers someone at his bedside when the worst of the psychotropic drugs were still ravaging his waking state as well as his sleep. However for Diana, there is something about him akin to dreams she had that were driven by something she could not explain whether it was some darkened ballroom or something that seems like an amphitheater except it was not that. Donna would refer to these things called nightclubs where she had gone and been rather charmed by the music as it reminds her somewhat of home.

**All alone in my room, think of you at a rate that is truly alarming**

Whether Bruce had known it or not, it was more than just Anika that made him go**  
I keep looping my memories of you in my head, I pretend that you want me**

Whether Diana had sensed it or not, she dreams of a man hidden by shadow**  
**

**And I fall asleep and dream of alternate realities**

Neither had known what Donna or Anika had been aware from the start of this mess

**Can't believe I could think that she would just follow me everywhere I go**

As her dreams end she would often be unable to stop them from slipping away**  
**

**I just wrestle with you in my dreams and wake up making love to a pillow**

In his cell, there was a strange presence trying to soothe him except it always seemed like he was alone.**  
**

The scene rearranges again as he stirs with her leaning against him, they had fallen asleep under his cape, which she had used as a blanket, a sure surprise for him, except for once he the familiar anguish, the constant frustration, the unrelenting grief, the burdensome guilt feels lighter. As for her, she is beginning to understand what had made Donna feel so good about feeling like you could love a man in a way entirely differently than you could love family or a friend. There had been a latent attraction to this Batman from the first she met him except his intentions to help her with Faust were far more baffling than the others.

Superman had an obviously straightforward kind of disposition to just help because its what he does, Flash had the do right attitude, J'onn seem to follow Superman's lead, but Batman always the enigma except something seem to stand out through the cowl.

It had been new to trace the scars on his body, to see injuries old and new, to feel him exploring her body, which is so smooth, so soft, so unlike his own he must have thought she believes, but it feels better than anything she ever felt before though she only had on island comparisons to make with it. He is the only one to her.

The demeanor was quite different by last night, he seem to have a heavier load on his shoulders one that could rival Atlas, which is saying much for a mortal man, except now she had no regrets about sleeping with him. She thinks perhaps this is love, and wonders if he is feeling the same. The shift in his face seems to indicate that he might be starting to feel as she does or as close as possible for him.

"What's on your mind Bruce?' she asks him.

"For now, the fact we slept together, that I somehow agree with some of what you said."

"What exactly in particular?"

"That I was afraid, I spent a long time in Arkham, I felt guilty for failing a lot of people, a lot of people I cared greatly about, so when they died in front of me just like my… I couldn't take it, I got my ex-partner out of the area… however even he eventually couldn't take it."

"You lose your entire world, have those who held you in such regard treat you like a criminal or a failure to be tossed away, sure you'll crash, but you have to get up again."

"You remind me of him when you talk like that."

"Your ex-partner?"

"No, a very late old…."

"It must be different to watch someone grow old and die…"

"Yes, the deaths I never got over, not even now, I remember mumbling leave me here to rot to the one that dared to get me out of Arkham, she still had faith, I had none left."

"It counts more than you when someone still believes in you when you lose faith in yourself."

Somewhere, some when a song that neither of them knew this time around begins to play again.

**The way it feels to be alive  
The day that he first met her  
Something's gotta change  
Things cannot stay the same**

He sighs and kisses her softly on the neck, it is an exhilarating experience to be with a woman like this again, but their troubles are far from over, the Amazons are racing towards war still. However that is only the top of the situational iceberg in their path though for now there is only them.

* * *

A/N 1: I certainly had a stumble trying to imagine how they would be together in this really messed up time line so I made flip from where Batman/Bruce is usually coming to her rescue, so she is saving him at the start from well drowning. Someone shot down the Invisible Jet, all the other passengers surface except him, so she goes under after him. As for her managing to figure out his identity under the cowl, well that's a bit of secret and as for why she is intent on getting with him, you ever just had that feeling where you meet someone and its like that's it? Well its not first sight, its just one of those, just feels right kind of things that doesn't happen immediately yet happens.

A/N 2: I tried to make the internal thought italics as clear as possible. As for her giving him mouth to mouth and having it turn into a kiss, well it could happen. I chose largely focus on them this chapter after having handled them separately for the last several chapters. Likewise I somewhat invented a lot of post-Trojan War history referred to in this story as The Schism. As for the separate bloodline sired by Penthesilea, well not sure why I came up with that one and having descendants on opposite sides of all post-Troy wars was likewise a late toss in.

A/N 3: For good measure, I also shuffled in some of Chronos' P.O.V. on the current state of the time line as some rather cerebral thinking on time lines, realities, precognition, the torture of being able to see the kind of stuff. I also established another precept in my concept of seeing that stuff, it turns out there are blind spots at least for beings like Chronos, Ananke, and the Fates, which is there are certain people are anomalies... well the rest of the explanation is in the section where Chronos explains it or at least how I imagine he would if he were writing instead of me.

A/N 4: As for Chronos' envy/admiration of Anika, well I thought of this thing from Children of Dune where multiple characters have foresight or are preborn with a boatload of knowledge, memories, and so on plus being able to see futures... Leto II in particular wants to be separated from the ability to see futures. He views Anika as someone who is thankfully cut away from such an ability yet driven to a create a future that is of her own making aside from wanting back her parents and her lover.

A/N 5: So what would it take to make an immortal or a nonlinear weep... well its someone like Anika apparently, she is an inspiring mortal yet so are her parents to Chronos. The songs are Can't Stop and Goodnight Goodnight, both from Maroon 5. I used the second in the first story Just Like You.


	16. Worst Nightmare

S/N: Twisted seems like a poor description for what's happening now... things really go to pieces now.

* * *

The blood lust is doing its work too well once the two Amazonian armies are marooned on Alala, the forgotten isle from the _Odyssey_ where Odysseus was stuck for over a year during his ten year journey to regain his beloved Penelope and reclaim his city. The blood lust traps them in a cycle of vengeance and resurrection, they can be killed yet they do not die, they rise again to fight more than fall again, seemingly doomed to fight forever. Anika struggles to resist yet she is slowly succumbing to it as well though Wally is her pillar and his mannerisms keep reminding her of Warren. As for Bruce he is reluctant to abandon Diana to the blood lust yet she demands he go stop Circe for all their sakes otherwise restoring the time line will be beyond them.

***

"More creative than usual Circe," chuckles Eris.

"Most assuredly that is so Eris," comments Nemesis.

"I doubt that many of the others would approve of this," retorts Persephone.

"Why do you always favor them or mortal heroes?" grumbles Eris.

"You always underestimate to your own peril, sure they stumble, but you forget much."

"You argue for their better side, where is it now as they wage war across this planet."

"Many are deeply afraid because of what some heroes can do with supernatural abilities."

"They are but an extension of them, even so those abilities can corrupt them yet that is why those super powered beings need mortal comrades to temper or more so lovers to imbue humility."

"Always so sure of yourself aren't you Persephone?" chides Circe.

"I knew it was a mistake for Hades to release you even with the crowding as of late."

"I'm not as dangerous as Medusa."

"No you are both dangerous in different ways, you kept many a man from his true love."

"Hah, you are speaking of the dead like Odysseus, well I have a better one to toy with now."

"You mean the splintered mind of a man who goes both by Batman and Bruce Wayne."

"Yes, sure he has found a romantic bond with Diana, but those are easily broken."

"You have already driven the whole of the Amazon nation into madness with blood lust."

"What do you care?"

"It is wrong and besides you can't harm me, that is the rule among many that prevent lesser beings from harming those born from the Olympians."

"Would you two ladies mind getting this queen of the undead out of my face?"

"I can see myself out you malevolent witch."

Persephone vanishes into thin air leaving these three to marvel that a goddess could care that much about mortals let alone interference in mortal affairs by supernatural beings. Circe dispatches her transfigured armies after the pointy eared boyfriend of Diana as well as the two following him. It is strange that the woman with them is still able to resist the blood lust considering what Circe is sure in regards to her heritage as she suspects the woman had an Amazonian mother as she shows signs of being affected by the blood lust. It was scientifically and magically made to affect Amazonians specifically so no matter how much or little you share with the Amazons you will succumb though only if you are female apparently.

***

"Hang in there, we are getting closer by the hour to the Citadel," mumbles Wally.

"I don't think I can keep fighting it Warren," grunts Anika.

"You just called me his name," pips Wally.

"Sorry, I'm just not holding together so well."

"Get down we are about to have company," whispers Bruce.

Batman is usually dead right about and Wally chuckles inwardly dead right, yeah I am dead alright. The supernatural transfigured attackers assault their advance towards the Citadel. She has to fight there is no other way yet stirs the blood lust to fight them now. The glow is starting to come back to her eyes just as she had seen in their eyes as they fought to the death only to resurrect after a time and start fighting again. A serious question in mind is what happen when the effect ceases, will they die, or simply revert to what was there before the blood lust. As she fights she suddenly grips Wally by the throat.

"Let me go, I am not your enemy!"

"The men are responsible for this war!"

"Snap out this Anika!"

"You dare to speak to me!"

"Aki!"

"Ah, damn, what is going on with me?"

"Can you let go?"

"So sorry…"

"It is okay… let's be rolling on this already!"

"How did you find out my pet name?"

"Donna mentioned some stuff about the future to me, someone calling you Aki."

"Warren and my mother would usually call me that."

"What does it mean?"

"In Japanese it means autumn, because Mom got pregnant with me in autumn while they were in Japan."

"She always had a knack for that, I mean in the time line I can remember."

"Like it has been said already time to go!"

The trio keeps fending off the supernatural attackers sent by Circe and all the sorceress can do is fume realizing he is as resourceful as any other mortal man she has tried to break so she had to turn something on him preferably his great love Diana. She cues the blood lust to drive the Amazonians towards him. As the trio finds themselves with Amazonians advancing on them in every direction, it seems they have hit a dead end especially as Diana grabs him the throat with enraged red eyes.

"You shall be the first of your kind to die!"

Wally attempts to intervene except Donna grabs him.

"Hurry Anika!" gasps Wally.

It is all on her as she runs faster than she ever run in her life yet it is at that moment that Bruce breaks Diana's hold on him by kissing her, it temporarily disables the effect of the blood lust surprisingly. Wally gambles the same trick on Donna though not because he had an attraction to her, just because he had to do something. She is out of it too temporarily so Bruce quickly explains what happen once they set sail several days ago. The Amazons gradually all fell under the blood lust's influence leaving Bruce, Wally, and the now running Anika to find some way to find out where Circe is hiding if she is on the island. The first sign of anything was the fact that the whole place seems largely uninhabited which is far too uncommon so they were definitely somewhere that is either not on the map or no one ever comes back from here.

Anika battles her way into the Citadel and almost gets to Circe if not for the appearance of her own personal annoyance, the time traveling thief and pain in the side called Aeon who is hefting the combination of the Eye of Pallas with the Staff of Penthesilea.

"You again? How much will it take before you haven't destroyed everything?

"I will do whatever I want, whenever I want, and you are powerless to stop me now!"

"That's where you would be wrong!"

"You sure?"

"Yes I am!"

The two wrestle over the artifact until he tries to make a time portal out of here. He smacks the staff against her forehead, which sends her flying with a head cut. He charges through the tunnel and she decides to follow him just as Wally and Donna catch up or rather Donna had been chasing Wally straight into the time tunnel. The three all bounce against the tunnel all the way to the other side. However Aeon is able to control where he is going after creating what he thought would be a second tunnel to strand whoever followed him in a place where they could no longer annoy him, but that did not work out so well as the original tunnel that was now the second tunnel had been set to take him back to the future. The Staff and the Eye maybe in his possession, but they do not adhere fully to his commands, after all sorcery and by extension magic always has a price.

***

Meanwhile Bruce vanishes in the present, another shift had happen, and one of the worse things possible occurs, Bruce Wayne never became Batman, because something was violently changed about the past. Gotham in the present is much worse than it was after the death of the Waynes and so no one was there to train Dick or look after him after his parents died during the show where Zucco weakened the trapeze rigging. Nobody was there to save all those lives that Batman had saved elsewhere except now Barbara Gordon was alive again, as was Jason Todd, as was many others who had died in a time line that never occurred.

Kal-El was killed as a teenager by a time traveling Brainiac because no one was there to stop him from going back after he killed Superman in the present. Metropolis instead belongs entirely to a time line restored Luthor. Everything is worse thus leaving Earth unable to ward off Darkseid's first attempt to invade and so it fell to him yet there would be a resistance led by a woman known only as Oracle after she left behind the identity of Barbara Gordon except when in the company of her rough around the edges lover Richard Grayson. Donna had the unfortunate luck of being caught by Parademons during an attempt to sabotage the boom tube network on Earth yet Jason and Tim are able to escape using the network.

Darkseid killed her personally with his Omega beams just as he had systematically executed humans by thousands and by millions once his conquest was assured, not even Luthor could escape being a servant to Darkseid mainly because he was allowed to remain overseer of Metropolis. As for Lois Lane, she was forced to be a part of the farce to perpetuate the propaganda news. Nothing and no one seems able to stop him without any serious heavy hitter opposition. Earth is turned into a lesser version of Apokolips.

***

The time tunnel opens to this dark and sinister future.

"What happen here?" mumbles Wally.

"Welcome to Hell!" says a voice.

"Who are you?" asks Donna.

"I used to be a Green Lantern, but now I am simply called Parallax!"

"Kyle?"

The entity calling itself Parallax blinks as he looks closer at the woman before him.

"Donna?"

"What happen to you?"

"Things went bad, really bad, the world has long been under the thumb of Apokolips."

"How I mean with Superman they should have been able to stop him!"

"Superman?"

"Hello... the guy with S on his chest!"

"You must be mistaken, there has never been a Superman."

"What about Batman?"

"Again, there never was, you tried to lead a team of heroes on your own as Wonder Woman, but it did not last long against Darkseid's heralds including me, I was lenient with you, of course it cost me, but I couldn't kill you, I loved you."

"I am not the Donna you know then if this is an alternate future from the past I just left."

"You mean what has happen is the result of someone tampering with history?"

"Have you seen any others come through here recently?"

"No there have been other reported chronometric anomalies, you best get those two out of here before the Parademons arrive to search the area."

"Why not come with us?"

"The resistance, the Outsiders would kill me especially if Dick sees me."

Another handful of strangers appear on the scene.

"Why Parallax who are these three?" asks Lashina.

"Yes who indeed," quips Mad Harriet.

"Puny fools to crush are who they are!" growls Stompa.

The three are about to attack until the unexpected appearance of Mister Miracle, Barda, and another woman. The Furies battle the new arrivals until the other woman spots Donna and flies over to her.

"Mother?"

"What?"

"I haven't seen you since after you went on the botched mission to destroy the boom tube network!"

"I have no children!"

"What are you talking about I am your daughter and that is my father there!"

Donna twitches as another shift vision hits her.

***

"_You have to get out of here, you have to stay alive for her!"_

"_Why are you suddenly so concerned after you betrayed us!"_

"_Parallax has corrupted me in this service to Darkseid!"_

"_You could have resisted!"_

"_You don't think I have tried!"_

"_What about what happen to Roy?"_

"_Roy is now an assassin for Apokolips, trained by Steppenwolf."_

"_I would kill you where you stand if I didn't seem to love you still."_

"_Get out of here now!"_

"_Too little too late for that. Parademons get her!"_

"_Roy?"_

"_The name is Arsenal now!"_

"_You leave her alone!"_

_Arsenal and Parallax battle as the Parademons engage Donna, but it is of no use, she is overpowered eventually and as for Parallax he is tortured for his disobedience by Desaad and Granny Goodness. It is after this incident that Barda elects to abandon this insane company especially as she fallen in love with the escape artist Scott Free aka Mr. Miracle. Arsenal had been the one to witness Donna's termination alongside a restrained Parallax. It was the last phase of the reconditioning to make both men watch their captured lovely lady die by his will and so Darkseid reminds both that they best do as commanded or they will join her in death. Arsenal had shown remorse over allowing this to happen except he would have to hide it even from Parallax who also mourns this blow._

_She didn't deserve to die like that, but of course she was one of the last of the Amazons as many were forever trapped in an endless battle on Alala. _

_***  
_

Tears roll down Donna's face as she saw both men separately grieving her death, which they both inadvertently believe they were the cause of even Darkseid's psychological conditioning did its work almost too well. Barda grabs Donna, Miracle picks up Wally, and Anika is taken up by the other woman who identifies herself as Mala. The beaten Furies seethe visibly yet depart as Parallax is left to wonder what exactly happen to turn this world into this besides what his memories told him of the conquest of Earth, the idea that someone had wrecked the time line.

It was strange though of course nobody would remember if all the changes happen before now. What would Arsenal make of this if he were willing to try to help him with a plan to find the source of these chronometric disturbances?

He would have to try and hope that maybe if he could persuade this other Donna to help him, but it seem like a long shot already. However as he looks up so descends Arsenal having seen the fight and Donna.

"We both saw her die a long time ago, so who was that?"

"She claims she is from another time line where none of this happens."

"How is that possible? All our memories say this real right."

"Anything is possible in the realm of imagination, but what can we do?"

"I would take any reality or time line over this one."

"So it is agreed, we try to find some way to convince them we are being direct."

"The question there is what would work?"

"I'm not sure… but we'll figure something out."

* * *

A/N 1: I kind of time jumped within the beginning part of the story since I couldn't exactly work out how the war would begin aside from mentions of bogus preemptive strikes. So the two fleets go in search of each other only to get stranded on Alala, which if you read the Odyssey is the isle where Odysseyus was stuck on for around a year or so on his way back to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Circe is using it as a stronghold still and as a testing ground for a substance called blood lust, which as described locks the exposed individuals into a violent cycle from which they can't break from.

A/N 2: In a really twisted future, Darkseid has taken hold of Earth as without a Superman or a Batman, a Wonder Woman is a formidable match yet not able to succeed alone. Donna was killed in the past of this twisted future. Donna from the previous present is still alive so she too has become a time orphan by being in a time tunnel during the shift that created this future.

A/N 3: The Furies make their debut in the story this chapter. However the other Donna has a daughter named Mala, as for her father that would be Kyle or rather he is now Parallax, a herald for Darkseid. As for Roy, he has been twisted into someone called Arsenal. I'm kind of borrowing this transfigured herald idea from the Marvel Comics specifically with Apocalypse from the X-Men continuity. However both of them are experiencing withdrawal with the appearance of the previous timeline's past Donna.

A/N 4: Debut of Mister Miracle, Big Barda, and Mala. There is a resistance currently led by this future's versions of Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson except they never met until he founded the Outsiders. Basically its kind of like Once and Future Thing: Time Warped, but way worse.


	17. Darkness Inside

S/N: Surprisingly writing this one was easier than the last two, but here...we... go.

* * *

The underground, the resistance, the Outsiders had taken heavy casualties over the years of attempting to resist Darkseid's reign though he had installed Steppenwolf to act in his stead for the better part of past few decades. As Miracle leads the other five inside the current hideout, it is the site of what used to be the Gotham's World Fair Expo. They had another bunker that connects to this via hijacked boom tube tech and so he leads them to that even as they pass on lookers who at first are baffled at the sight of Donna except she looks much younger than even the oldest among them recall of Donna. Donna while endowed with Amazonian's slowed aging process which pretty qualifies as immortality, she still aged during those early years of the Apokolipitian Occupation. The boom tube jump takes them to the other bunker outfitted in a subterranean cavern beneath what used to be Wayne Manor. A visibly scarred man gasps at the sight of Donna before gripping the console to steady himself.

"Dick, what's wrong?" calls out Oracle.

"Nothing Barbara, Miracle has brought company, probably whoever the Furies and Parallax were after."

"Who exactly are we talking?" quips Oracle/Barbara.

"See for yourself."

"Donna? You are dead."

"So I have been told, but I'm from the past, we ended up here as a result of trying to follow a time traveling villain who is either directly or indirectly responsible for screwing up the fabric of time, reality, and quite possibly the universe at large."

"We haven't had any time traveling foes in well forever unless you count the Clock King, but he died years ago."

"We're not talking Tempus Fugate, we're talking someone from an alternate version of this future going back and mucking up everything!"

"Easy Donna, who are the others?"

"I'm from another future, one that occurs just before or during the earliest shifts that have inexorably led to this future."

"As for me I'm a dead guy in another dead guy's body."

"You look like the missing in action GCPD MCU Detective Crispus Allen."

"This is his body, I'm 'borrowing' it, I was put in it by a Greek supernatural being called Ananke."

"Ananke sired an offspring with a mortal and that kid became the villain we are after called Aeon."

"Don't tell me there is also someone called Chronos involved in this too."

"Yes there is and this is no joke."

"How don't I know that you aren't trying to trick us? that Darkseid isn't going over the top to screw with us?"

Donna drops to her knees and grips her head, another shift vision.

_"Oh, Dick, she's so beautiful, what do we name her?"_

_"I was thinking Maris or maybe Mala."_

_"I like Mala, that will be her name, you like that don't you my little moonlight."_

_"Moonlight?"_

_"We made love by moonlight, it was how I think I got pregnant with her."_

_"So cute of you Donna."_

"...made love by moonlight... your daughter with the other Donna... Mala."

"How did you know that?"

"She has shift visions, she sees all realities, all time lines, and it is torture for her because so far we haven't been able to prevent the shifts from getting worse, which they have... now either help us or we are going to find Aeon on our own."

"We detected very unusual energy readings and spikes in the vicinity of what used to be Arkham Asylum, perhaps you should look there."

"You aren't giving us back up?"

"I'm coming with you."

"Mala, are you out of your mind?"

"If there is a chance to prevent this future, I am all for it, even if I'm never born by it being prevented."

"I'm going along too."

"Miracle... what inspired this?"

"I lost my position on New Genesis for coming to your aid and so now I'm going to fulfill my oath by doing what I can to save this world even if no one ever knows what we did."

"I'm going with Scott, you'll not face battle along my love."

"Hold it, nobody is going anywhere without a plan."

"None of you know the layout of Arkham so that means one of us who does know will have to go with you."

***

Arkham had been reduced to ruins though much of the underground and sublevels were still intact for reasons no had ever known and he prefers it that way since no one can find or disturb him here yet in attempting to take the pearls that had been worn by Martha Wayne, he somehow ensured the death of Bruce Wayne because he had taken the place of their killer by removing the killer from history by locking the killer away in a sphere in this pocket of space outside the flow of time. It was the only way to sustain all the things he had taken from the past or any the people he had kept away from the shifts. As for ensuring the disappearance or non-existence of Superman, it only meant ensuring no one could find out how Brainiac went back from a distant future to Smallville when Clark Kent lived there before his powers began to show more. Aeon had captured the heroes from the future that were going to try to stop Brainiac. He didn't mind that Earth had become a principality of Darkseid's dominion. Darkseid had done so much to Earth without anyone to seriously oppose him and even the time had come when New Genesis had to fold by having most of its inhabitants go into hiding except for a few like Miracle, the former Fury Barda, and Orion, the son of Darkseid.

"The time line, the fabric of reality, heh, used to think that mattered, just to only swipe what I could and hope it wouldn't do any damage, but wreaking havoc started to be too much fun, and before I knew everything was changing, so a real test was to actually start causing people to disappear either by taking them here before they were erased or altered, or even more to your dislike Mother was to kill them myself."

"Just be sure not to kill your grandfather, otherwise you might not be born."

"The chrono-belt and this staff protect me. You wonder if the staff is keyed to women only, why does it work for me."

"Bend the rules without breaking, your the child a woman, a child of a goddess, so the rules don't totally prevent you using it."

"Makes sense, and now Earth is a hellhole, actually looks better this way."

"No, its this way because of what you have done, what good is a world if you destroy it?"

"The act of creation is in fact an act of destruction first, so first I destroy everything then go back to the beginning..."

"Those there at the start will stop you."

"I doubt they could with this Eye of Pallas combined with the Staff of Penthesilea."

"If there is ever a reason to regret siring an offspring with mortals, now would be the exception."

"You were afraid of me from the start, but more after I actually killed people, thinking I was protecting you, no you could look after yourself and you only stayed because I had been dependent on a mother after father died trying to protect me and you with all your powers didn't save him!"

"Everyone dies sooner or later even your father, even you."

"So why bother having children?"

"You are asking the wrong being."

"You are a woman albeit a supernatural one."

"Children are my legacy, something that temporarily ties me to this world, just as it does for Chronos, we partake in the creation of life, the deceptively small joy that mortals value, well maybe not all mortals, but most we have been with have always valued the sanctity of life above all else. Can you say the same?"

"I have had enough of your prattle, if you value life so much why not stop father's death?"

"You might as well as ask why you go again and again into the past to swipe things for your collection as if thinking you could change history so your father doesn't die, but most of what you have done has ensured that countless lives are never the same twice or they never lasted long enough for them to do what they were eventually going to do should the routes lead to any number of futures they could have had without your interference."

"You are saying I am destroyer."

"I am saying your efforts to rewrite history fail because the flow of time, of history, of pathways is neither entirely destiny or decision. It is both what happens to you and what you do because of it. Action and reaction, birth and death, living and dying, loving and hating, making and breaking, an infinite crucible and contrast."

"I am out of here, more to 'wreak havoc' on Mother."

***

Anika suits up in a costume she spends hours working on in what used to be in her version of this time the Batcave. It is not unlike the one she remembers using during her taking up the mantle. She is Batwoman after all, the daughter of time vanished Batman and blood lust driven Diana, who is suppose to be Wonder Woman. She pulls down the cowl and steps out of the darkened lab to face an amazed Wally who could hardly imagine that this was the same woman he had been working along side for weeks now except she was after all very much a mix of a father's and a mother's daughter. Something is happening to him now.

"I feel kind of funny..."

"Wally... no!"

The body of Crispus Allen vanishes along with the specter of Wally West, the dead Flash.

"Anika what happen?"

"Wally is gone Donna!"

"How?"

"Aeon must have changed something to prevent him from getting to Crispus' body or something happen to Crispus."

"We will have to check the computers."

A search reveals that Crispus Allen was killed after getting caught up in the middle of a protracted gun battle between Salvatore 'the Italian' Maroni and Sergei 'the Russian' Petrovka. As for Wally West, he was killed during a Central City villain team up to get him out of the way of a big score for all of them. The temporal disappearance of Batman, Superman, and the premature death of this time line's Donna Troy meant there was never a Justice Lords team or for that matter the eventual formation of the Watchers after Near Apocalypse of 09.

***

The same year instead saw the beginning of the Apokolipitian Occupation and for a time Darkseid ruled his domain from Earth until returning to his throne world to resume the search for the Anti-Life Equation. Steppenwolf had been in charge ever since then. Many decades had seen the ultimate enslavement of the human race by forcing them to convert most of their cities into Apokolipitian strongholds, which were literally built upon the bones and the foundation of the old human cities.

***

Recent discovery and very real disappearance made it that much more urgent to restore the time line that they both knew and missed badly, it was not paradise, but it was close enough for them. This is not the world that could be, that should be, but for the moment it is the world that is.

"We have to get moving now!"

"No time like the present."

Anika smirks behind the cowl.

"Sorry, I just thought a laugh would be worth a bit right about now."

"I know, I am just not in the laughing mood right now."

"We'll stop this, we have to."

Anika, Donna, Miracle, Barda, Mala, and a back in costume Nightman leads the way with a comlink back to Oracle as she has the blueprints for Arkham on her computer screen. It was hard for Dick to have to face Arkham again given how he had to face an array of villains that had gripped Gotham decades ago just before Darkseid's invasion of Earth. He had beaten them barely with the help of Donna and Barbara. He had grown closer to both women though with Donna's death he had grown to depend more on Barbara to help him raise Mala.

It was fortunate that Jason was able to protect Barbara from the Joker even when nobody else seem able to stop his murderous tendencies, but of course it almost got him killed in the process. Recent medical technology gave her back the ability to walk after being wheelchair bound for many years. As for Tim, he had been responsible for keeping the Outsiders under the radar for a long time too by building all sorts of devices to allow them to power things without drawing from anyone else's generators. Meanwhile the current haunt story for Arkham is that the ghosts of past inmates haunt it yet in reality, the real deal is all the time orphaned individuals that if to leave the spheres would vanish just like the time line or reality they are from to begin with.

Nightman kicks in the front door to Arkham's lobby. It is a decrepit place, covered by years of no maintenance period, but that was the least of their problems as they continue inside. Everything is in shambles here, the roofs had long since collapsed, so there is water everywhere, just as there is pieces of the building left lying around in the corridors, and dust piles from corpses that had withered away with time were also there. It was decidedly eerie yet as before there is a mission, the ultimate mission at stake here.

***

Reality or time if one were almost to consider possible were defying or struggling against efforts to turn the whole thing into utter chaos, but that would mean someone or something is resisting the shifts. Of course Chronos is the manifestation of time itself, all the possibilities yet not even he controls the whole picture, the variables or the anomalies always had a hand to play as well meanwhile he suspects he is geting closer to finding Ananke as his chosen Seer, the one called Donna Troy is getting close to where Ananke might be in this future.

The only question is what and who else is there with her aside from the other more obvious how to reverse the damage that Aeon has done. It was time to summon, Aeon's opposite, the child he had sired with the Queen of the Royal Flush Gang, which still exists in this time line except in more malevolent form in its service as the Deadman's Hand. His eyes glow as he sets off something within this new player's mind. It was time for Nyx to assume the role she might have to play, for this is a role that Chronos often hopes that such beautiful beings would not have to take up, but Aeon has reached a power level where this team of past and future heroes might not be enough to stop him alone. Nyx without this new compulsion would simply be a mortal to nearly rival her predecessor in the gang, the only one to ever leave and not be brought back by force. After all a few had tried to persuade that one, but they usually came back with signs that she had done things to their minds.

***

The further into the ruins of Arkham they go, the more foreboding it seems, but it had become the ultimate expression of the chaos that seems to exist to them as a result this truly distorted time line had taken hold of a once and familiar world torn to pieces again and again until it had become beyond recognition to those who would remember or see other lives for themselves. Someone steps out from the shadows, it is someone that vaguely resembles Hush who leads a gang of resurrected Arkhamites, but of course nobody ever said it was impossible to make undead bad guys from the Lazarus Pits, which Eliot had done once age caught up to him.

"Ah Nightman how nice of you bring your friends here to join my undead army ready to reclaim Gotham for those who deserve to reign over this no man's land."

"Damn you Hush, how are you still alive?"

"Ra's Al-Ghul's last associate was quite forthcoming with enough persuasion."

"I guess he is dead too right?"

"Yes he is because I killed him after the first time I used the Lazarus Pit."

"I don't have time for this."

"You'll make the time... because no interferes in my dominion of Arkham."

"You don't know what is going on down below?"

"You mean those ridiculous spheres with strange captives in them, don't care, only want to deal with you... with finality!"

"Less talking, more hitting!" growls Barda as she charges at the resurrected Hush.

The two sides begin to fight and so Anika now as Batwoman goes ahead with Donna leaving Nightman and the others to fight Hush's minions. The two know where to go, but who knows what other surprises this not-so-abandoned Asylum is concealing from them. The descent into the depths of the darkness inside the ruined Arkham will take much time, but now they are really running out of time. Wally's disappearance back at the bunker is a strong compulsion to fix this already aside from all the other losses so far.

***

Parallax and Arsenal go to investigate Arkham at the behest of Granny Goodness though of course they are following the recently empowered Nyx since she seems to also be drawn to that location as well. Something on a grand scale of the cosmos is about to happen and Darkseid is far away on Apokolips, which is incidental and maybe luck for them. Neither transfigured ex-hero was willing to let Donna die a second time unless they were unable to prevent it. This world had already gone to hell and beyond, but maybe they could change it back, they knew they had to try otherwise they were stuck like this perhaps forever, and that was extremely unacceptable for both of them. It was strange to agree after this long a time yet it felt right as Parallax flies and Arsenal pilots a swoop bike towards Arkham on the trial of Nyx who had felt them following her.

* * *

A/N 1: Begins a bit like the scene where Batman, Diana, and John meet old Bruce after encounter the JLU. However in this version of Anika, Donna, and Wally met an aged Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon after meeting Barda, Miracle, and Mala. Barda also speaks a line that's pretty much the same as one spoken by Shayera, in this dark future, I mean someone has to be funny occasionally.

A/N 2: I decided to put Anika go back into costume, well she kind of didn't bring it with her when she went back, but again the costume is only an extension of the wearer. She is after all the daughter of Batman and Wonder Woman, so she combines parts of both to become Batwoman.

A/N 3: I inexplicably had a scene similar to where Diana disappears in mid-sentence. So Wally is never put in Crispus Allen's body because the events leading up to that never happen exactly. All the things that more or less led to him sort of taking action among the living went kaput.

A/N 4: Hush and his undead former patients occupy the surface ruins of Arkham and below is Aeon's lair perhaps. As for Nyx, in mythology she is like the beginnings or origins of everything, so she is assuming a kind of counterpart status to Aeon. Aeon's relationship with his mother is slightly patterned after the relationship between Mordred and Morgaine Le Fay.


	18. End of Line

S/N: Time stops, reality freezes, end of line... (Arkham Asylum history based on Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth)

* * *

_It seems impossible to laugh when this asylum is named a dead woman, a woman who was the mother of Anthony Arkham, the man who founded the hospital for the insane. The tragedy is much steeper than that because the asylum was once the Arkham family's estate, the Mercer Mansion. The truth about Elizabeth Arkham's death was repressed by Anthony, one legend persists that he euthanize her after a long history of mental illness, but another also persists she killed herself. During the remodeling of the house to become an asylum, Anthony works out of Metropolis Psychiatric Hospital. He is there with his wife Darla and daughter Emilia._

_One patient in particular Jacob Norton, a serial killer, who upon escaping did unspeakable things to Darla and Emilia, but despite this Norton, was committed to Arkham once it opens a few months later. After six months, Anthony straps Norton into an electroshock chair and electrocutes the man. Like with his mother, he tries to persuade himself that there is a purpose, a point to the death, but of course that would not happen, so the day had finally come where Anthony is committed to Arkham, he dies in there._

_This is just another notch in the tragic history of Gotham City. _

It would come to be home for the criminally insane in many a reality even this one, for criminals that become a Rogues' Gallery. The same Rogues in many a reality or even time line have come against someone who is more than just a man or a woman, rather each is something more for most of the sparring between them is psychological, like Arkham. One can only hope that history fails to repeat itself if and when the 'right' time line, the 'right' reality is back in place, and so the end begins here.

There are tears forming everywhere, things phasing in and out, buildings in the wrong places, cars from the wrong eras, even people who are dead can be seen walking the street like at the Monarch Theater. The triple homicide of the Waynes is playing out again and again and again. Isolated pockets of time make it impossible to say what year it is suppose to be in Gotham. It is and is not a Darkseid conquest world. There are multiple versions of the Rogues Gallery wandering around the Arkham ruins, sublevels, and even the subterranean chasm that houses massive rows of spheres with temporal bound captives that would cease to exist if the spheres went offline.

At this point, ceasing to exist hardly seems so bad if any of them were aware of their predicament, one hesitates to say the words fate and not free. It is now that Anika is running rapidly when spotting what looks a man with wings in one particular section, it is Warren, but not her Warren, and this is Warren from a time line or reality where they were not together. One where the Anika he knew died in the fight against Starro, which did not happen to her as she had freed Superman's from its control before they were able to sever its link to the others. In the spheres next to his were Kai-Ro, Marina, Virgil, and Bert. She also sees Inara Lethe, the female Flash that had replaced Wally in the first time she was in when she first went back.

There is also a Green Lantern that is not Kyle Rayner, but rather John Stewart. There is a Hawkgirl, but not Shayera Hol; it is someone she has never seen before. There is another Hawkman unfamiliar to her, but he bears resemblance slightly to John except he looks more like his mother might have been this other Hawkgirl. Somewhere along the line there are multiple versions of Batman, of the man she knew as Father or more affectionately Daddy or Papa. She admits falling into calling him that after a few summers in France when Mother or Mama wanted her to meet Audrey, one of her godmothers. An arrangement was made between her parents that both could select separate pairs of godparents instead of being too conventional about the whole thing.

The first looks almost exactly like the Batman she had seen pictures of, holo-programs about, and even the first time she had daringly gone into the new Batcave put together before the climax of Near 09. It had fallen into disuse after Father's retirement due to his health finally kicking him down, a mild heart attack fortunately, but Mother could be said to be in such a state when he had come home and barely able to stand. He begins treatment to help him recover not long after and by then Mother would demand he cease going out at night at risk of getting a worse one or dying for that matter. He at first reluctantly obliges her, but of course the expressions on her face, made it impossible to say no to her request after a long time.

Anika was still in college at the time plus she had kept the family costume secrets for years even though she never reveals she had seen through the fairy tales and myths regardless of how they would try to cover it. The biggest hint had come about when Mother had finally let her visit Donna who had taken her back to Themyscira without telling Mother at least not immediately. Anika had gotten into college a year early, how one could doubt the abilities or the mind of a daughter more self-taught by her parents than by schools for most of her life up to that point. She would use her Mother's last name alias and it did draw a fair amount of attention, but it was purely from an intellectual standpoint as nobody had known that Callista Turan had a daughter.

She began cultivating her own stories about her parents' romance, which were always not far from totally true, she merely made a great many edits besides using their new names. Father after retiring seriously took on painting and would always be submitting pieces under the name Kane Black. Nobody saw much of him outside the Family, but that was alright for everyone because he seems far livelier at parties since starting into art. It had become his new obsession as he got into architecture as well as the arts. Gotham would instead know the architecture that would become its modern look towards the middle of the 21st Century.

There were also several versions of women who look like her mother including one wearing the famed original Wonder Woman armor, one wearing the infamous replacement from the Justice Lords era, and others that resemble others. Her parents were reluctant to speak of many things in the past so she had to find out from others the extent of what happen with the Justice Lords and all the events of Near 09. At the end of her investigation, she finally saw why they rarely spoke of it, it was part of a history they were not proud of, they had to do those things because the governments were afraid of them, and Cadmus was not content to let costumes come back into play. They got lucky that a handful of people kept the faith even when the heroes made a monumental slip up by taking up stewardship of Earth following the narrow aversion of a third global conflict that could have led to billions of deaths including those in costumes.

They had lost the way for a long time according to some and the last holdout with a death wish had been Clark. She sees multiple variants of him including one in the Justice Lord getup, several in the original suit, and one wearing a dark variant of original without the cape. One that 'Aunt' Lois told her about from an excursion to another reality where the her there died and Superman lost it because he was unable to save her. It had been part of what made her so full of conflicting emotions because she saw what happen to him if he lost her, but in this world, she had been alive though something else could have just easily led to that or worse with him... it did when he vaporized Luthor.

The other spheres held variants of every costume she ever met and some she had never seen before. However the most unnerving were alternate versions of her, one that seem almost Justice Lords inspired, and others that look kind of like hers. It was mind numbing how many people he kept stuck down here aside from taking objects that would disrupt the flow of time and the fabric of reality.

She turns to see the approach of Nightman, his team, and of course someone really unexpected is someone she met years ago while going to Hamilton High. At the time, she had a falling out with her then boyfriend Nathan.

Melanie Walker had after all saved her life that night when one of the rival crime families sought to use both of them as hostages. The Walkers were the infamous Royal Flush Gang who had a long history with Gotham though of course they had competition from the latest generation in the Maroni Family. She was a disadvantage without her Batsuit that night yet Melanie had experience with rival family abductions though of course by the time they broke out both the GCPD and the Bludhaven P.D. had come looking for them.

Out of concern, an anonymous caller had contacted Detective Cassandra Grayson about the kidnapping of Anika Turan and Melanie Walker. The caller as she later learns was Warren, he had been in Gotham visiting with his parents. He had been out of the town flying around and saw her being taken into a van after being attacked by several men in trench coats. The only reason why he did not intervene to do it himself was he did not want risk her getting killed or the other girl with her. The next time Anika saw Melanie was during a heist that the Walkers were pulling and she had to stop them despite having been in that tight spot with her. Melanie never discovers her friend Anika is Batwoman yet her alternate personality, the one called Nyx knows the story.

"_Hello Anika."_

"_Melanie?"_

"_She is with me, she knows what I know now, and of course she is upset for you concealing you were Batwoman when you caught her and her family robbing that vault. However after parting with them recently, she has come to slowly forgive you."_

"_Can I speak to her?"_

"_Hi Ani," says Melanie telepathically._

"_Hi Lanie," answers Anika._

"_So Batwoman huh? Any guys chasing after you?"_

"_Yeah, the guy that called the cops to recover us from the Maroni Family."_

"_I have never seen him."_

"_You have, he is Warhawk."_

"_What a looker…"_

"_Yeah I know… we still have work to do especially with Nyx being a part of you."_

"_Yes she is me and I am her… we must stop this Aeon… stop Nathan."_

"_Nathan? Nathan Rivers?"_

"_Yes… I take you know him," says Nyx._

"_We dated when I was in high school, the relationship ended badly."_

"_There is something else you should know… he is the grandson of Thomas Elliot."_

"_His grandfather is…was Hush?"_

"_That is correct."_

"_and I dated… the guy who killed my parents in the other time line?"_

"_Nathan was not the one who killed them… Aeon did."_

"_They are the same person…"_

"_I co-exist with Melanie, he and Nathan are a badly meshed together persona now."_

_"What do you mean?"  
_

"_However there is an imbalance with him that can't be corrected… Nathan's frustrations towards losing you and not being able to get far with his dreams made them too unstable and Aeon's tendencies are not that far from his… the symbiosis is rarely tapped into… but it when it does…either the process achieves balance without one being aware of the other… or the two coalesce into a darker being… which clearly has happen with Aeon and Nathan."_

"_Hello Sister… we have been expecting you… and we see you brought our treacherous ex-girlfriend with you."_

"_Nathan… you have to stop this… don't you see what's happening to the fabric of time and reality? You can't be that blind or stubborn."_

"_We don't care anymore… our life has been miserable enough… we had hope with you, we felt love for you, but you couldn't stand us after awhile, you claim we were being too rough with you, too much of anything to you, so you left us… yet we have taken the liberty to capture your new lover first… so now that you are here… the spheres with all the versions of him are going away."_

"_Don't do this!"_

"_Too late for that… say goodbye forever to Warren… your winged freak of a love!"_

"_You have embraced the darkness inside… you are lost!"_

"_Perhaps… but by the time I'm done… so will everything else be gone!"_

Sphere occupants start rapidly vanishing as he shuts down the temporal nexus protecting them as well all the other things within this massive subterranean vault grid. He wields the Eye of Pallas atop the Staff of Penthesilea. As for Nyx, she starts unloading energy discharges at him through tapping into her latent ability to do this. He fires discharges from the Eye and it causes things to age, decay, and vanish after a brief time. She ponders trying to attack though what could be done with him this powerful now. The entire room starts coming apart all around them and the sky above is dissolving into energy, practically everything is going away by the time the others catch up to Anika and Donna.

"What's going on?" demands Parallax.

"I was about to ask the same thing," snaps Arsenal.

"Easy boys, Nyx is fighting Aeon, she is the only one of us that can go head to head with him."

"Aeon's got a bit of Jekyll-Hyde back story… I dated 'Jekyll' or rather Nathan back in high school… didn't work out… didn't know about the other, the 'Hyde', the villain Aeon."

"I heard of guys taking breakups badly, but destroying time and reality… that's excessive."

"Aeon was already kind of destructive to begin with… eventually their temperaments suddenly becoming too alike… there was no one to teach Aeon humility… Aeon only had Nathan's example… only he magnified it beyond recognition."

"Nyx and Melanie are the example of the symbiosis balance."

"It explains why she doesn't need a mythical staff weapon."

"His powers alone are considerable except without the balance he never fully utilized them."

Aeon opens a portal after blasting Nyx halfway across the collapsing reality of this space. Nyx recovers to follow though Anika goes after her.

Donna is about to follow until a shift vision comes to her except this time, _she is looking at the different scenes where Chronos took the body of Mr. Bartholomew 'The King' Walker to sire the daughter that becomes Melanie/Nyx and Ananke taking the body a much older Selina Kyle to sire the son. It is the son that has become dual persona of Nathan and Aeon._

"_Is there any way to prevent this?" she shouts._

"_Yes and no…if we could change it we would… but it would cause a paradox on such a scale that it would destroy everything anyway."_

"_So what do you suggest?"_

"_Neither of us can see pass the battle that has just begun… you must see it…"_

"_Why?"_

"_They are anomalies we cannot see through or around… you must go."_

"_Go where? There is nowhere else to go."_

"_Back to the start, back to zero."_

"_You are kidding?"_

"_We have no concept of humor that you would grasp."_

"_You could let me out of the shift visions then."_

"_Your body is already in motion… your mind is just preoccupied with us."_

Donna flies into the temporal vortex made by Aeon. Arsenal and Parallax attempt to follow except it collapses before they can catch up to Donna. This present/future collapses like it was never at all. There is not nothingness; the darkness overshadows the flickering light of the temporal vortex tunnel. Donna follows the sounds of Anika trying to compensate with the micro-rockets in her costume's footwear. She grips her time orphaned niece by the waist as they continue to tumble together towards the place where they hope to finally stop Aeon.

As for Ananke and Chronos, they cannot interfere simply because their powers would not work on Aeon because he was made by one of them and somehow some strange rule forbids the supernatural parent from killing their offspring. They are not the only couple knocking boots yet at present there's have the heaviest hands to play, whether its fate, free will, or nothing in particular the fate of everything is now in their hands as well as Anika and Donna.

* * *

A/N 1: I was reading about Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth. I basically made it virtually the same as that except changed some of the names. Amadeus is now Anthony, Constance is Darla, Harriet is Emilia. The serial killer is now Jacob Norton.

A/N 2: Nyx exists in symbiotic sharing with Melanie Walker, known in regular DCAU Melanie Walker aka Ten, a member of the Walker Family who are also the Royal Flush Gang in the Batman Beyond era. In this story however the Walkers are just another rival crime family in the initial time line, with multiple shifts they become handpicked assassins for Steppenwolf.

A/N 3: Aeon has a similar pairing with Nathan Rivers, a descendant of Thomas Elliot aka Hush, the 'criminal' behavior skipped a generation in theory with the birth of Bastian, his currently deceased father. Nathan dated Anika back in high school, their relationship dissolved because she didn't exactly find it was worth staying with him because his behavior began to disturb her even though she had begun spending more nights working towards becoming Batwoman. Nathan never really got over her breaking up with him. His mental imbalance affected the pairing to the extent that he speaks of them as We kind of like Eddie Brock and Venom or Jekyll and Hyde. The only partial example is Fight Club.

A/N 4: The various spheres as I wrote contain time orphans from most of the shifts including multiple versions of Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, Warhawk, and so on. The final collapse apparently turns the whole of it all into energy, matter is neither created nor destroyed, it merely changes form, Law of the Conservation of Mass according to Batman. I'm paraphrasing him from Hereafter Part 1.

A/N 5: A back story making a high school friendship between Melanie and Anika was on the fly call, just as it was with Nathan Rivers. As for the host that Ananke used when she slept with Bastian Riley aka Bastian Rivers, it was guess by my regular review DaisyJane that it might be Catwoman. Of course I decided to do it anyway, of course that would make Selina about in her forties, maybe fifties, though if you'll remember Static saying 65 is like the new 30 in Once and Future Thing: Time Warped, that's the idea I had in mind. The body might look old yet it is prime shape with her being an athlete and gymnast. Plus Bruce stayed on as Batman well into 60s as seen in Batman Beyond: Rebirth.


	19. Nexus

S/N: A battle of cosmic importance that almost no one will remember... except for one.

* * *

_The beginning or the end or neither or both is always happening now._

_The lack of geometry, the absence of space, and the time is just a word; all of it is just words. He went back and she went forward yet both meet in the midst of the creation that is the destruction that is the creation. The discharges are flowing between them, neither hitting nor missing; the two were at a deadlock. She keeps hammering at away him yet his chronobelt emits a body shield. She however can trigger one with just a thought, she has all the natural advantages and he has all the technical ones. There are notions of sorcery and science, mystical and mechanical, psychological and physical, and all in all a jumble of contrasts._

_Nyx-Melanie is bound to the memories of the good times she had with Anika Turan, correction Anika Wayne, and that is enough for Nyx to feel a strong compulsion to restore the balance whereas Aeon-Nathan is by far the darker of the two. Aeon's path of destruction is driven by the imbalance in Nathan's memories of the past, of how the breakup with Anika happen, denial that he was at fault for why all that happen then. Nathan was by no means a truly malevolent person yet he did not work his way through the emotional phases instead he just let it fester inside. There is a difference between doing catharsis yet still get thrown back into the hole emotionally speaking and just wallowing in the miseries of the past is one either works through pain or pain projects through self._

"_The act of destruction is the act of creation, to seek what happens when I change things!"_

"_The act of creation and destruction go hand in hand, not one leading to the other!"_

"_Says you Sister!"_

"_It is a truism, not my words, but someone else said it!"_

"_Mommy dearest Ananke or Father Time Chronos perhaps!"_

"_Perhaps, but you must not do what you are planning to do, it is not going or meant to happen."_

"_You can see through all the time lines and realities too?"_

"_No, but I can…"_

"_What… how did you follow me here?"_

_Donna slugs him as he is too busy focusing on Nyx, Anika goes for the chrono-belt, and Nyx goes for the Eye-Staff._

"_Get off!" _

_Donna is thrown one way, Anika another, and Nyx shields herself from the chrono-kinetic surge. Donna is laid flat by the last, Anika is stunned, but alert and as for Nyx she resumes fighting Aeon. The fight could go on forever if there was still such a concept in the realm of nonlinear existence for the language grows imprecise with each passing gasp. The rapid fire is one thing, the accuracy is another, and so far Nyx holds the advantage in accuracy whereas Aeon is constantly shooting at her. Anika goes after Aeon again except the staff connects with her chest sending a ready charge into its circuitry, shutting down the physical enhancements, but again the suit is only an extension of the wearer. However it is this bizarre concentration of chrono-metric energy that causes her to be unable to move now leaving it to Donna to smash the Eye if she can manage that otherwise it is over for them._

"_I'll be taking that now!"_

"_I dare you, you'll end up like her!"_

"_Whatever it takes to stop this, I'll deal with it later."_

"_Let go!"_

_The staff is out of his grip so then she fires it at his chrono-belt, causing it to disappear as if he never made it and then he too fades away. Something feels strange yet welcome as the universe starts and ends at the same time. Donna goes over to Anika and Nyx lands next to them._

"_This is it?"_

"_What now?"_

"_You'll see."_

"_What does that mean?"_

"_It means we are both going back to when we belong I hope."_

"_You would be close to right. It is probable that only Donna will remember any of this, but not certain."_

_It all happens again just it did before except for all the 'damage' made by Aeon-Nathan. _

_***_

Donna comes to in her bed, in her apartment, in Gotham, and she sleepily rises to look out at Gotham, it looks like it should there are however slight, ever so slight differences, and by that it means, the shifts made very minute alterations to begin with so even those never happen either. Wally is still in Elysia yet there is a reward for his spirit in the future for the world will again need heroes like him someday and Donna decides to phone Kyle because for reasons she could not understand at the moment, she needs to see him. As much fun as Roy could be, it was just that, she had come back to Man's World to help her sister yet she did not expect to see Kyle or Roy, but Roy just did not take things as seriously as she did sometimes.

It was not that she did not have feelings for him, it was just she had a more intimate history and tender history with Kyle. Besides Roy was about to get a visit from an old acquaintance, Jade Nguyen and that would lead him back to Asia for awhile, more specifically she told him to meet her in Tokyo. As Kyle, he was floating outside Donna's window only minutes after getting her call, the showboat act made her giggle a little plus having seen what happen to both of them after she died in the future she had gone to with…

… Donna could feel some of it slipping away from her. I must not forget it, she mumbles to herself, but of course that is when Kyle enters then saunters over to plant a kiss on her lips. Before long they were too busy rediscovering each other for her to think about what happen and he is better than she remembers, of course the time orphan she met will be the daughter of Bruce and Diana so long as that would happen as a future of this present.

She sighs in almost moan sounding kind of way as he reminds her of why she felt restless after he had given her a taste of more than physical flirtation, when he taught how things could feel more than good without doing anything with his hands. She grips the sides of the bed just embracing what he is doing because for once she did not have those mind splitting shift head pains, which made her ecstatic. She decides to turn the tables on Kyle by pinning him and showing him a thing or two. He of course grabs her hips in the midst of this twirl and she remains on top for the rest of the morning, he was going with her to the wedding that is certain. He is the one at least this time, they are both older now, well he is anyway, she still had that Amazonian catch of aging slow enough to pass for immortality.

"I was surprised to hear from you so quickly Donna."

"I made up my mind about you recently Kyle."

"Seems and feels like more."

"Maybe, but take over again."

Kyle turns the tables back by doing what she asks of him and she giggles knowing somewhere else in Gotham Diana is probably up to something similar with Bruce. She could only hope that nearly everything is as it should be at least enough so to align with her memory of this present yet of course Kyle notices her lost in thought. He squeezes her hips and softly bites her neck so in reaction she bites him back just as a little more roughly than looks back at him with a suggestively coy smile. They go back and forth like this for a few more hours. Later when it comes to dressing up for dinner with the Graysons and the future Waynes, she for once just wants to have fun without the shift visions and the whole of everything in peril.

She can hear him making a low wolf whistle at her. It is a very flattering to her curves strapless dress after all as well quite lovely in sense of going floral and obviously he is paying quite a bit of attention to her legs, just a little anyway she turns around as he slides on the ring. She watches him think of something to wear and with just a thought the look changes. She switches from a bit of a smirk to a grin because it looks more than good on him even as the ring allows him to change faster than she could ever get any dress on so far. They both decide to fly the way to the place where they are having dinner and along the way the two see Clark and Lois who were also invited apparently though of course Clark's trying to keep a low profile.

***

Low profile in terms of powers yet it might have taken longer for them to drive especially considering how bad traffic is this time of night, but they would all be staying at the newly refurbished manor after this. Next surprise is seeing Shayera turn up at the restaurant in a dress, which is once in a blue moon kind of deal and of course John loves every second of it. As for the kids, Cass and Warren are with Alfred though naturally Warren is quite the handful even at less than a year in contrast to somewhat proper like Cass, and he handles it like an almost pro. He had experience with little boys when it had come to Bruce so of course he also gets help from Tim and Kara.

The Kents had Lana over for the weekend. She is also using the time in Smallville to see them and show them her idea for upcoming clothing lines. She had not been back for a bit since Lois had gotten pregnant and at times it made her a little envious of Lois as she had been in Clark's life first yet his love for Lois is unmistakable as well as unbreakable. She had found new ways to go on without having him in her life as much as Lois is in his plus fashion took her all over Europe for starters though of course she knows her attraction to power took off with him. Perhaps more precisely Lana could hook any man except him, which is part of why she went almost out of her way to get his attention a few times before things got more serious with Lois.

She is also recalls how she setup Clark's return after that the car bomb meant to kill him to prevent Bowman's secret from getting blown open.

She recalls Lois being a mix of surprise and shock though of course she passes it off like it is amazing yet okay. She remembers his description of Lois from his apartment before it had blown to bits, the woman whether she admit it or not at the time had begun to fall for Clark Kent despite already being drawn to Superman. It is the man behind the S that you are really after honey she would tell Lois a few years later and their friendship had been a saving grace during the frenzy that follows the Lords stewardship as well as when Kal had been on a rampage.

In the end, it turns out that he had been so destructive because he did not believe he had been deserving forgiveness, but they were always willing to give because, they are the ones that love him deepest. The world holds its superheroes to such a height that when they slip, it is a monumental or colossal disappointment but they forget they are human just like you, so hypocrisy tumbles too. At the same time, she turns her attention back to Martha who is cooking dinner and looking forward to Clark and Lois coming over for the weekend.

Barbara would be visiting too as Kara had been eager to spend time away from the job with her old friend. The criminal element worldwide had been quieter lately though of course nobody is eager to go trudging off to a super powered or Meta amplified battle not with the Near 09 having only been less than a year ago. No people seem to just want to get on with their lives, to know that they could just as easily be dead now instead their way ward heroes had brought the world back from the brink again.

The time line seems just about right yet deep down even those who can 'see through' time know that this is not exactly the same yet this is what passes for time and reality now. The future can wait for when its time does come to pass and so Donna steps through the door held open by Clark just moments before a four months pregnant Lois. She decides she'll be marrying him someday yet she jokingly considers maybe we should double up with Bruce and Diana, meaning a double ceremony yet she also says guess we could let them keep their date to themselves. Clark had told we could just talk to them about it and besides whatever we do will be spectacular anyway.

"Before we begin, I would like announce my engagement to Lois to all of you."

"_About time for those two too," whispers Bruce._

"I heard that Bruce, and yes you are right as usual, I also like to thank you too."

"Thank me why?"

"For knocking sense into me."

"You had it all along, you just needed a push in the right direction."

"Yeah handsome, sit down, I'm hungry, long _flight_."

"Not too cold I hope."

"You are warmer than the sun."

"Thanks honey."

"Waiter!"

The gathering makes their order and so they start to catch up to begin the family gatherings that _Anika_ spoke so much of and then that's when it hits Donna when she remembers things about the woman whose name she almost forgot.

_It is starting up just like you said my lovely niece; well we're getting someday, and can't wait to meet you again even though you'll be a baby this time. _

The selected dishes all look tasty so they begin to dig in and mix some chatter between the chewing. The happiness at this table glows brighter than all the stars barely visible in Gotham's skyline at night.

_You'll be home soon Anika and we'll be waiting for you then it'll be perhaps better than even you told me it being for you._

_

* * *

_A/N 1: I remember the fight with Chronos being kind of abrupt, actually he fight didn't much at all in the last few minutes of Once and Future Thing. I also sort of humanized Aeon's motivations by making them an extension of the instability in Nathan Rivers.

A/N 2: As for what happens to him or Nyx for that matter I have yet to decide aside from his plan to remake the universe/reality/time have been thwarted. Instead of anyone exactly returning to the present, its basically snaps Donna back into the position she was in before the visions started. Wally is back in Elysia, still well dead for the moment, and as for our time orphaned Anika, only time will tell on her too (no pun intended).

A/N 3: Ultimately it seems Donna has chosen Kyle over Roy and well Roy encounters his other old flame Jade aka Cheshire, an enemy turned lover in the comics.

A/N 4: Now hopefully the intended wedding can get back on track?


	20. Life In A Day

S/N: Wally's legacy is more than just memory...

* * *

_"Wally West," calls Persephone._

_"Yes?" answers Wally._

_"You remember Linda Park?" asks Persephone._

_"Yes I remember her."_

_"She is visiting your grave today."_

_"She is?"_

_"She is still one of the more frequent goers and a decision has been made to grant her heart's desire."_

_"What is that?"_

_"It is to have you back with her if only for a day."_

_"You would do that for her?"_

_"She loves you, and she could never really realized it at least more so until you died."_

_"How am I going to explain this to her?"_

_"Just tell her it's a gift for the day and also if wish to make love to her, you can so long as she wishes it too."_

_"I understand…"_

_"When the day is done, you will return here."_

_"It'll be hard to leave her like that, at least I could try to tell her more than just leaving a note."_

***

"I don't know why I keep coming here and talking to someone who is still dead."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, at least not today."

"Flash… I mean Mr. West… ugh… Wally!"

"Yeah it is me Linda…I was given a mortal day pass for you."

"Really? How? Why?"

"I have been in the afterlife more or less since that day. Technically I'm still in there, but for now I'm here with you."

Linda walks towards him slowly, wondering if her mind is playing tricks on her, just like those dreams about him used during the first few months after his murder. She puts her arms around him and kisses him. He had forgotten what kisses felt like aside from the memories and she had for a long time sought to know how it felt to kiss him instead of just imagining it. She pulls him along and phones in for a day off as if wondering if she went to work he would be gone by the time she got home. They went to her place, which incidentally had a small shrine to him, to some it seems freaky, to him, it is better than a museum to his exploits, and she makes some Iced Mochas, using a mocha maker she got as a birthday gift.

"So what is it like there?"

"Peaceful, entertaining at times, but usually I stick to myself, I mean everyone's got their own slice of incorporeal paradise down there. I miss having a body sometimes and to my surprise they tell me Linda is at my grave today. Today being kind of relative since time is nonexistent there."

"I bet you are hungry."

"You become telepathic while I was gone?"

"No silly, I remember your hyper metabolism requires more recharge than anyone else."

"Just being silly I am, well whatever you have is fine."

She cooks a couple cheese sandwiches and they eat quietly for awhile until he notices melted cheese on her face. He presses his finger against her face yet before he can pull his finger away, she grips his wrist and tells him....

"Put your finger in my mouth."

It seems a little strange at first yet she seems to find it enjoyable. He had some similar bits on his face so she reciprocates; it was a new thing for them so they start doing with all sorts of food until they start kissing again later on. She leads him to her bedroom and they lie down there for awhile. She just wants to feel his arms around her, to feel his breathing on her, to be totally certain that he is there, and not her indulging some want of a dead love.

"I don't know how I ever went back to work after you were killed, it was not the same, everything felt different, and of course that Near 09 business made a lot of people panic yet your friends did the impossible again plus your cousin took over for you after Near 09."

"You mean Inara?"

"Yeah, I met her, nice girl, but you know me I only have eyes for you Wally."

"Yeah I know, I never knew exactly how you felt and me I was kind of a slacker."

"Your way of handling the bad guys is what made you my hero. You would talk to them, try to find common ground, instead of just going head to head with them more often than not like Superman. You didn't use tactics against them though I know Batman has his own way of trying to reach them even though most never see it."

"Yeah usually you find yourself have way between them with me. I wanted to do the right thing yet I didn't want to be rough around the edges."

"One thing I miss most is your hair and your humor."

"Wondy said it suits me and John always had a trip up with my funny though I think he gets it."

"Yeah, they all got together finally awhile back to rededicate and honor a park in your name."

"Way to go my friends…"

"You sure you don't want to go see them?"

"My pass is bound to you alone."

"Well I could go with you."

"No I had my time with them during Near 09 when Persephone brought them to visit me. Today is your turn."

"I love you Wally West…."

"… Love you too Linda Park."

She starts to undress him slowly and taking it just as slow he undresses her. She kisses him full on the lips and he responds in kind so they go about the whole experience slowly. It is a relieving feel to have his body up against hers and so they just sort ebb then flow with each movement. Linda nuzzles against him, stroking his hair after awhile, and he holds her close to him. They eventually eat again as doing this is quite a pull for a man with a hyper metabolism yet after they return to the bed for more. Linda recalls an old poem she read years ago that went for who could foresee the two would become one and such is true in the act of physical loving or so she wants to believe for as long as he is here with her today and tonight.

They slept soundly that night and by breakfast the next day, she could not help herself except cry, but he said so long as you remember what I mean to you, how you feel about me, about all the things we are to each other, I'm never gone. She whispers between tears I know, I just wish we had more time, but I'm grateful for what I got just the same. He left her more of a gift than either of them knew almost as if Persephone had been prophetic. Linda would be late in a few weeks, and not the late for work kind of late or late for an appointment, no it means the kind of late that spooks a woman. It is spookier for a woman who slept with a man who had come back to life for a day, but of course she wonders who to tell, the only ones she could risk were Wally's friends though how to reach them.

***

Somehow she got lucky on the way to the rededicated park to Wally as Shayera is there with her little boy. Linda is hesitant to approach as telling someone about this sort of thing is really new territory to her.

"Hello Linda," murmurs Shayera.

"Hello Shayera," whispers Linda.

"How are you doing?" she asks.

"I'm well… I'm… pregnant."

"Who is the lucky man?"

"It is…Wally."

"What? Are you messing with me?"

"No, you saw Wally during what happen with Near 09 didn't you?"

"Yes, one of Diana's goddesses took me and John to visit him."

"Well I think she gave him a mortal day pass to see me and we… well had sex. I haven't slept with anyone in a long time so to be find out I'm pregnant less than a month after is…"

"We should have a paternity test or something to be sure."

"Okay, I just wasn't sure how to broach meeting a briefly resurrected Wally."

"It is alright, let's just get you checked out just the same."

A purplish glow appears and out steps Inza.

"She speaks the truth Shayera; I'm reading signs of high level magic or energy around her."

"You sure, when have I or Kent been wrong about that?"

"Right, I just thought we would be sure."

"I know, I will take you both to J'onn then."

***

"I ran all the tests I could think of and all point towards her pregnancy beginning not long after when she apparently slept with a temporarily resurrected Wally. The tests are conclusive, she is almost two months pregnant now."

"See I told you."

"I'm sorry I had my doubts, but you know we saw him die, so it is disbelief though I'm sure we should have been more believing after seeing his specter."

"It is alright, I didn't believe myself at the time or even after my doctor told me after I found I was late."

"Yeah, well, here's to the future kid in there, now if you three don't mind I need to get back to my son."

"Also when the time comes I want to deliver the child among Wally's friends."

"We could do no less to honor him or his legacy within you Miss Park."

"Call me Linda."

"As you ask, so shall it be."

The memory and bloodline of Wally West would endure through the love Linda Park felt for him and for their child. Linda finally read the note Wally left for her that day almost two months ago.

_One could pass an entire lifetime and never know what living truly is or one could have only a day and know only what it means to have someone special like you Linda._

_P.S. I love you and if there's a kid in your future, that is my precious gift to you._

_

* * *

_A/N 1: Persephone keeps popping up in my stories, don't know why exactly, but most versions I have seen of her except that one in the Matrix Trilogy, have appealed to me on an emotional level. She has at any rated come to an agreement with other Goddesses including Hera, her mother Demeter, and Aphrodite to grant something to Linda Park.

A/N 2: Another bump to make the future just a bit different is in this segment's expected revelation. I made it all very simple to give Wally a one day mortal resurrection before having to go back to the afterlife a third time. The first being him going to comfort Diana in the midst of the Near 09 trouble, the second in the present/future that was overwritten, and now to go be with Linda.

A/N 3: Lifted the whole P.S. concept off the movie P.S. I Love You. Its one of those movies you either like or find too cheesy or both or something else. I personally liked it then again I'm a lover of most things Irish be it music, the countryside, literature, or movies that are set there.


	21. Sight Unseen

S/N: Everything is back on track yet not the same as before.

* * *

"I don't think this was a good idea," murmurs Diana.

_It had been her suggestion and I merely made it much more sensory than anything else._

"You said let's try something different," remarks Bruce.

_Strange conception of different yet is scary at first except his voice is enough to ease my mind._

"I didn't mean a blindfold match in the Batcave," pips Diana.

_Surprise in her voice, so rare to do that, but dare I think the word fun._

"You have to rely on your other senses, I already had my brush with blindness years ago."

_He is being coy and instructive at the same time, so like you my love._

"When you were facing the direction of that explosion," continues Diana.

_She has been reading more of the old files than I thought._

"Yes that, now hit me if you can," commands Bruce.

_He is asking for it, he knows I could wipe the floor with him._

"You sure you want to tempt me?"

_She is perhaps overconfident of her restored abilities yet let this be humility for both of us._

"I can take of myself."

_He always sounds sure of himself yet there are always hints of uncertainty in his mannerisms._

"And what about me?"

_She always uses that tone to slip through my defenses except it does not always work on me._

"We'll see soon enough."

She swings at him, he dodges, she tries kick, he catches her leg then pushes her back onto the mat, and she jumps backup alerting him to the fact that she is no longer laid up on her back. She keeps trying and getting awfully closer except he keeps avoiding or dodging as if his senses and awareness are so sharp that almost nobody could get through them. As they continue, their clothing gets torn as she finally manages to land a few hits. She fortunately wore a strapless top today except it still got tears especially in the chest are, which made her gasp audibly as he never made such a move even in bed, well almost except when he did that is was more gentle like.

His defense is aggressive and her offense is relentless yet of course in time very little is left of their clothes. She finally pins him except he gets out of it before she can count to ten so she must try again and again, she starts the count, but never gets to ten at least not until she manages to land on his back. However her legs quiver to be in such a position with a blindfold over her eyes because she can feel hips beneath her spread legs and finally she counts to ten except as she does, her voice betrays her increasing arousal. He purposely presses his hips against her more so by the time she utters seven.

She flips him over and rips away what is left of his sweat pants and she aggressively makes sure he cannot force her to stop. However he is too drawn into her directness to end the match early. It feels more than just erotic to do this with blindfolds and he hears her moans despite the occasional sounds from the bats hanging from the ceiling, in daytime they are asleep, but one wonders if certain sounds would rouse them from their sleep. He however instead reciprocates her aggression by pulling away her top by ripping it, they had enough money to get more or have Alfred sew it back together.

"I take back what I said earlier, I actually love this blindfold idea."

"Well we are both experiencing this act of working each other over without being able to see."

"All reaction is coming through other senses and how the body is reacting to it with the lack of seeing for the moment."

"Well feel this one."

She turns on him and slides her hips down from his chest to his stomach to his waist yet slow the movement after passing the waist. He actually moans in an utterly pleasant way so she keeps doing it as there are no objections on his end. He eventually flips her onto her stomach then uses a combination of his lips, his fingers, and gently breathing on exposed skin. She sighs profusely and often moans for several minutes. It is fortunate that the new soundproofing prevents anyone from hearing what is happening down here. However the words sparring match between Bruce and Diana is enough to put pictures into nearly anyone's heads if they care to imagine what these two physical lovers are up to down there.

He works her over for awhile before she takes back the lead instead of letting him control the movement. What remains of their clothes are in a pile near the tub typically used in the past to reverse the effects of Mr. Freeze's cold gun except nobody had seen him since that last attempt to Gotham into arctic wasteland several years ago. In the moment they use it for a hot bath together after rendering each other too sore to walk up the winding stairway to the Master bedroom.

"I think you need to make a secret elevator shaft connect to somewhere close to this spot."

"It'll be costly yet I could 'logistical' advantages to it."

"More than one bath tub is always good in my mind."

She always glistens so much when wet even in the lowest lighting in the Batcave. It made her shine and the way the water runs down her skin. He felt like he had finally given into the idea that he had been ogling her for years and just like that makeup sex they had more than a year ago, he felt that the passion between them would burn in them for the rest of their lives. It is relatively fortunate that neither of them is privy to the time lines or realities that Donna had been through yet when everything seems to sync back; it is not exactly the same. One new twist is Linda getting pregnant by a briefly resurrected Wally for starters. She whips her wet hair in his face and he sputters just a little then she rests her damp body against his equally damp body.

She eventually climbs on top of him and they gently shift in tandem because this is what they do that goes along with their creativity in terms of physical intimacy as well as the fact they are pressing the boundaries of what they can do to each other especially if there is no bed. He reaches for a towel as he climbs out several hours later, he had grown used to the temperature temperament of the cave yet it is still new for her. He quickly puts a robe around her yet leaves it open to rub her stomach, she sighs feeling quite a bit warmer to his touch then after awhile she ties the robe's belt.

She takes her time dressing for dinner as they are expecting a full showing of their 'family' so she does want to look her best especially for him. He silently watches her dress yet she knows he is watching her, she had sort of known that first time in Paris too. She had taken to wearing that red number again with red stockings that would leave him to guess about what is on her legs as she had been facing away behind the wardrobe mirror. Next she puts on sling back heels before going to watch him dress, it is rare for him to have an occasion to look his best in a suit other than the Bat suit. He does look rather dashing plus she made him wear the suit she got him as engagement gift. It is quite contrary in colors for him as it is white chino plus a blue button down shirt to almost match his eyes as a striped tie.

"This is your idea of a dinner suit?"

"I had some help plus you rarely wear a suit that isn't dark, not that dark looks bad on you."

He smirks except it looks more like a boyish grin. She steps up behind him as he is fiddling with tying the tie, it had been age since he did that too yet she had pointers from Alfred on that, count on the paternal butler to know these things. They kiss; she'll have to reapply her maroon red lipstick before heading downstairs to greet the first guests, which are Dick and Barbara who have brought Cassandra along to go in the children's dining area. She will have company from the Queen twins, Warren, and much to everyone's surprise Helena had a son with Vic during their rather lengthy absence following Near 09.

***

The boy takes after his father according to Helena and as an explanation she shows them his connect the dots drawing from a couple months ago. His name is Felix, he is given his father's surname, he is a Sage after all. Vic had already gotten the kid into patterns by the time he could walk, being a father made him a little softer on the edges, but his conspiracy philosophy never takes a backseat to anything else except his son. He is kind of a prodigy at the age of two. She too had been pregnant during Near 09 except it did not show until they went off together alone.

She had such hesitation to tell him despite the fact that their relationship had gotten a lot more physical after he broke her out of Hardcastle's internment facility in Arizona. Hardcastle would not survive long enough to regret his conduct at the time simply because the more extreme elements of Cadmus had put out a hit on him through Galatea. Eiling on the other hand had his life force drained by the certifiably demented Ra's Al-Ghul. If not for the Outsiders, now called the Watchers, the world not be on the path to a more benign future, but of course not everyone shares the sentiment hence Cadmus remaining wary of costumes in general despite some leading members supporting the Watchers.

Faraday's organization nicknamed the Insiders had done its best to shield the families begun by various Watchers in order to prevent things like Templar Initiative from recurring yet since their disbanding nobody had seen a trace of their de facto leader who was codenamed Ace. In truth, she had been hiding and running from the elements of Cadmus that want her back as their weapon against the costumes after the perceived monumental failure of attempting to clone or engineer their own super powered operatives. She had by genetics alone the evolution or mutation that had given her great capacity in mind power, in telepathy, in telekinesis, but the powers had a fatality factor to them that Waller had learned of recently. However so long as she does not use the powers to the point that it could kill her and thus kill anyone within range of the backlash then it would be for the lack of a better word safe.

***

She had anyway found Donna due to the nightmares that the aftermath of her time travel escapade left her with even though she is very happy with Kyle, there is still too much of that future that could still happen, she wants to believe all the bad stuff ends with this reset. Some part of her is not believing that hence the infrequent nightmares. She had been late getting back to her apartment where Kyle is waiting to fly with her to the manor. Something draws her to the ground, to this funhouse, and once inside is where she meets the same woman that Anika had seen before the shifts made all the constant alterations to the time line.

"You wish to forget don't you?" she asks Donna.

"Not all of it, just the bad memories," answers Donna.

"The two are stuck together, good and bad is hindsight, so I ask again forget or live with all of it forever."

"If that is what it takes to end these futuristic nightmares then so be it."

Donna's eyes glow then she is sent on her way unaware she had been here at all and then she takes her time to don her dinner dress. She feels the elation and rush from Diana through their bond figuring her and Bruce must have another of those before dinner loving the other's body sessions. It made necessary a really long cold shower. After she dresses herself and her wet hair shines in the sunset as she playfully flies the way with Kyle yet they are good about concealing their movements simply because Cadmus could be anywhere except they'll try to enjoy the evening regardless of this. Their entire lives would not be offset or rule how they spend their time with each other. They were still people underneath those guises, but of course the paranoia is the same, afraid of what they would do if they loss someone again.

The crucible of costume heroics, what happens when 'too much' goes 'wrong', what will the costumes do then, but of course 'epic fails' are intolerable. They could only hope that enough still believe in them, and fortunately they do, without forgiveness, without trying to accept the seemingly unacceptable then one never moves, because one must move on.

***

Donna had decided she must forget all those possible histories for now as the nightmares kept on waking her from even an almost peaceful sleep. They had their place and purpose yet not now, now she had to live for herself as her sister is doing with Bruce. Inara brought a pregnant Linda as requested to this dinner too and the four await Diana after Inara rang the bell.

Diana, looking every inch the future blushing bride of Bruce Wayne, greets them at the front door with Zatanna who is rarely seen in a dress is now wearing one with light blue nylons. Her date for this occasion is one Jason Blood, who is also an old acquaintance of Bruce Wayne and quite amazed that Wayne is intending to marry after all these years. However even had seen Bruce had been faking the whole womanizer thing for too long and the time after the Justice Lords tenure had come to an end, was one of the darkest times in his life as well as for the morality and purpose of costumed heroics.

Jason to say the least had history with Morgaine Le Fay specifically Camelot yet this is general knowledge at least among the Watchers who have 'met' Jason or Etrigan. Zatanna had however come to see a softer side to this man with a literal inner demon. At any rate, the gathering share drinks before Bruce arrives in a decidedly lighter color than he is typically known for wearing, which certainly gets all the women noticing and whispering to each other. Some of the men spew or choke a little on their drinks before questioning what's with the different color.

"I'm in a good mood tonight, so don't say anything about it okay," demands Bruce.

"You look fantastic in that," comments Zatanna.

"Suits you more in this light than a Bat suit," remarks Barbara.

"You do shine up well in a new suit," says Shayera.

"Seriously where did you find this suit Diana?" asks Dinah.

"I'm curious myself," continues Helena.

"I believe the store is called something like Banana Republic."

"I'll definitely be shopping," chuckle the women among themselves.

The guys all look rather concerned by this clamor about Wayne wearing a new suit bought for him by his fiancée, by the woman that will be his wife in only a few months time. It is one thing to change a man's fashion to suit yourself, another simply to find him something a little different for him to wear, this is the latter.

"Dinner is served," calls Alfred from the dining room.

Alfred sets out to look after the hungry children next and it'll be another family night.

Diana will engage in something she learns about called footsie with Bruce during dinner, which prompts him to do the same to her. The two hide it well yet it makes a strong urge for their own private variety of dessert that would have to wait for later though it would be worth the wait just the same. As for the dinner, the usual excellence from Alfred yet he gets some help with dessert from Martha Kent who sent him the recipe for a kind of chocolate he had never tried before and of course everyone seems to react rather happily too. As if leaving the manor with unmistakable grins or smiles were not enough. It would be to say the least not a lonely night for anyone.

In fact it would be more the hot and restless variety because chocolate is aphrodisiac.

* * *

A/N 1: Bruce and Diana like this reality/time line is more or less what it was before albeit some things are different. It starts off with them sparring in the Bat Cave then kind of moving onto much more physical intimacy before having to get ready for another 'family' party.

A/N 2: Donna still has nightmares of that really bleak future and wants to forget it and so this reality's version of Ace offers to help her 'forget'.

A/N 3: I know I'm not spot on about keeping track of time between chapters, but this time line approximates what one presumes to be the initial. Oliver and Dinah still have twins, Vic and Helena have a son who is something of a prodigy for his age. Cassandra is the toddler age range, Warren is getting up to talking and walking, and as for others its moving along every so steadily too.

A/N 4: Jason Blood, an interesting character insofar as his dual identity of Jason and Etrigan. He was initially voiced by Billy Zane in TNBA episode The Demon Within and later replaced by one of my favorite actors Michael T. Weiss. As a man who employs both magic and a supernatural alter ego, I thought maybe I could pair him with Zatanna, well maybe.

A/N 5: Chocolate is what I wrote it is at the end of the segment and I'm admitted chocolate addict myself.


	22. Autumn Skies

S/N: Things are going well, too well perhaps? --- Song lyrics at the end are from the song titled Moondance by Michael Buble.

* * *

She had felt his presence everywhere she went, she had known someone would come after her eventually yet having his shadow is more comforting then she would expect, but for them both, this is their life, she runs, he chases, at least for now. She lost her parents to an overdose of her powers affecting their minds and as for him, he had been a genetic hybrid, the first of the kind. His eyes don't match, which is an anomaly though as for the rest, he is a rival in a mental capacity to Batman yet possesses the physical strength comparable to Wonder Woman. However neither he nor they are aware of his true lineage, Cadmus kept this secret like so much else in the past several years. She is codename Ace and he is codename Paladin, but one could wonder what actual names might mean to them if they had one. He sticks to rooftops and she aimlessly passes along streets wherever she goes with him in her wake. She settles onto another swing and he slips into the seat next to hers.

_"You can't keep running forever..."_

_"...and you can't continue pursuing indefinitely."_

_"They want you back..."_

_"... why need me when they have you?"_

_"I don't know..."_

_"...you suspect something."_

_"You were born this way..."_

_"...think my being born with these powers does anything positive for me."_

_"You were made a weapon to deal with the costumes..."_

_"...and they are doing the same with you."_

_"How did you manage to leave?"_

_"Waller told us to go..."_

_"... she barely got away from several attempts to kill her."_

_"He got her away, his organization is far more covert than the Watchers."_

_"He was on my list of helpers for her."_

_"Was?"_

_"I thought it ideal to eliminate him from the candidate list."_

_"You are covering because you don't believe in what they tell you to do."_

_"Their paranoia will get too many people a sudden death, not a long life."_

_"I fear you'll never get away, not with the others like you waiting in wings."_

_"They are engineering counterparts to the others even the one that supposedly died."_

_"Fear... the things done because of it and with it...you better go."_

_"We have to stop meeting like this, they expect you to bring me in before long."_

_"I know... only problem is I can't do it... made me too well."_

_"Until another night Paladin."_

They both disappear by the time Cadmus field observers get close enough to examine and report that Paladin is still in pursuit despite getting this close.

***

The most difficult ones to regulate and accelerate in growth were the telepathic, the valkyrie, and the dead man yet lessons from Galatea were invaluable in the attempt to engineer her replacement made from the DNA of her 'cousin' as well as a hybrid combination of other costumes. They were attempting to prepare a team countermeasure for the Watchers, Hamilton still hangs by the latest 'epic fail' despite the fact that the former Outsiders turn Watchers had a hand in averting the Near 09. It is not new, they did the world annihilation stopper before, it would take more to convince him if ever. He had been opposed to field testing Paladin yet Maxwell Lord got an overrule from the higher ups. However as project supervisor Lord is responsible for the field test bearing results except so far Paladin only closes into capture range then lets the target slip away. There has always been evidence that Ace can leave nearly anyone unable to move due to mental distortions except given who they had genetically combined to make Paladin, there should not be a problem, yet as Hamilton begins to realize they perhaps made these new operatives too well. There are moralities and mentalities that are impossible to override in some people, no matter how much puts into them.

***

Paladin makes a side trip to Bludhaven while she had instead been heading for Gotham, he had to keep the observers on the wrong trail at least for now. He is watching the Graysons with their daughter and Barbara is still carrying the second child, expecting to birth the child quite soon, and there is something comforting to know there are parents. His parents are only so by genetics, there's nothing to bind him to them yet he longs for a family. She turns up besides him again. He looks to her except she is projecting an astral self this time.

_"A happy family, a little girl, a child on the way, and dotting parents, you aren't alone in the longing or the envy."_

_"Neither of us really had a family, you had them for a time, but I was feed, grown, and then gradually aged to this appearance."_

_"One cannot truly discern your emotional or psychological age even when tests would mark you at less than a couple of years old."_

_"You aged to your present physical state whereas your mind is also unlikely to have an age pegged to it."_

_"Miles to go before either of us gets any sleep tonight if that is even possible now."_

_"They would have us deny our bodies, minds, and perhaps even the eventual desire for romance."_

_"You would want to love someone?"_

_"You don't want that, it just happens or it does not happen..."_

_"Where are you?"_

_"Why do you ask?"_

_"Just tell me."_

She plants an astral kiss on his cheek, he blushes just a little, and as he turns to look in her direction, the astral self vanishes from sight. He fumes just a little, anything seems possible in this line of work, but he had already known that they have a directive implant in him and in the others so defiance seems out of the question unless they could disable implants.

***

"Greetings Cratos," says Hamilton.

He is monitoring the vitals on the accelerated growth process made specifically for this genetic replicant of a hero who had long since lost the potentially misguided doctor's faith. As for the others, they are stable as well, aside from the prospects of success in aging and preparing the others, there is still the matter of field testing them along side the already hesitant Paladin. The second is codenamed Nemesis, a genetic hybrid of individuals close to Paladin's genetic progenitors. The third is a genetic replicant codenamed Satis and the fourth is a genetic hybrid identified as Vulcan who by that along should be a giveaway. The fifth, Deimos, is yet another hybrid except this one is from the genetics of a shape shifter and a psionic. The sixth is meant to be trained in the use of weapons as well as having powers comparable to a seventh is presently the last of the hybrids known to Hamilton as Lazarus, hardly ironic given his genetic progenitors, not just magic, but speed as well. Cadmus is hellbent on having these seven ready to subdue and eliminate the Watchers' founders should the need arise.

He begins the process on the others after it appears things are going well with Cratos. He contacts Paladin, it takes a few minutes before the operative responds to the call.

_"What is it Doctor, I am in pursuit of Ace right now."_

"You best do your assignment by now, if she cannot be brought back, follow the backup directive immediately."

_"Whatever it takes..."_

"No more delays..."

He even had that voice to him, it is beginning to disturb Hamilton, they had already made these doppelgangers and hybrids, could he really terminate them at this stage?

***

"You are going to have to do better than that if you are going to sneak up on me... Bat..."

"I am not Batman... though you were once Robin II if I recall the files right..."

"What do you want?"

"What is love?"

"You are asking the wrong guy, I haven't been in love yet..."

"Then why are you watching her half naked from this roof?"

"Jeez, you haven't done this yet huh?"

"I think you would be more embarrassed if I had been Batman."

"You have blown my cover man!"

"She would have seen you eventually or just let you keep looking, the greatest mysteries in the cosmos are usually known for their swaying hips, their eye catching legs, and sultry or sensual voices that turn even the most hesitant and resistant of men into wanting to know more about this lovely being that's basically hooked them on hormones and feeling."

"Damn, you have been reading a little much haven't you?"

"One has to find these things out somehow."

The girl peeks through the blinds once spotting the second shadow on the other roof. She had been okay with the guy watching her yet he had company now. There is a knock at her door, she had never seen this other girl before, but something tells her, she can trust this one.

"So who are you?"

"I have no name, I have been called Ace."

"Well my name is Stephanie Brown."

"Tim Drake has been watching you."

"Pfft... I have known that for weeks."

"He has been at it for months."

"He's persistent."

"Not unlike my 'watcher'."

"He got a name?"

"He's been dubbed Paladin."

"You people like your code names, you a bunch of costumes too?"

"No, we are 'children' of Cadmus."

"Why does that sound familiar?"

"Cadmus is one several organizations that opposes the Watchers behind the scenes."

"So they are still trying to make countermeasure teams, when are they going to learn that does not work, the last time it almost kept the costumes from saving the planet."

"Cadmus is bent on doing away with costumes permanently, they don't believe the fate of the planet belongs in their hands."

"Road to hell with good intentions jaunt."

"Indeed."

"So tell me more about Paladin, he seems to be sweet on you."

"Sweet on me?"

"He likes you or at least cares about you to the point that he won't do what Cadmus is ordering him to do when it comes to you."

"Is this what one refers to as love?"

"You two are still young enough to get to that eventually."

"If there is such a thing as love, I would say that other male with Paladin is in love with you."

"For now I call it infatuation, he is always tripping over his words when he is trying to speak to me, but he'll get through it somehow."

"Why not just tell him you are interested?"

"Being hard to get is kind of fun."

"Hard to get?"

"Making it worth his while, make him chase."

"You know he could get tired of it."

"Paladin does not seem to tire of 'chasing' you."

Ace actually blushes for the first time in her life.

"Hit a tender spot eh?"

"When you put it that way, you almost make it seem like he has feelings for me."

"You should find out even if you do or don't have mutual ones."

"Perhaps, but I am tired from the journey."

"Well you rest, nobody should know you are here hopefully."

"He is the only one, I lost the Cadmus trackers hours ago."

***

Tim and Paladin return to Tim's apartment. Tim heads for bed after slipping out of his costume and into mix matched clothes then plops down. Paladin sleeps on the pull out couch, using the couch cushions and other furniture pillows to sleep on. It felt strange every time he slept in a bed because he slept on a thin mattress for the longest time at Cadmus' Arizona facility. He eventually drifts off to sleep only to wind up in a dream reality drawn up by Ace. It looks like a fun house or a wonderland like he had seen in photos during his off time to research the outside world, abut places where kids would go to get away from adults. She is on a swing again and so he swings with her for hours. He actually starts laughing and she does a giggle or two.

_"This is your dream?"_

_"We are both here although my mind has made this setting."_

_"What kind of damage is this doing to your brain?"_

_"None, sleep is the only thing to stave off the serious side effects of my powers."_

_"Remarkable feat."_

_"The body takes care of its own."_

_"Almost poetic."_

_"I take you met the girl or woman that Tim was watching."_

_"Yes, and you met the boy or man, she is toying with."_

_"Toying?"_

_"She calls it playing hard to get."_

_"Ah, well he is a determined one."_

_"I could tell his interest in her is above the physical though of course I could hear your description of the greatest cosmic mystery."_

_"Women would be the word."_

_"Am I a mystery to you?"_

_"Yes, what draws me to you? what makes me feel this way about you?"_

_"Your body and your mind reacts to my presence in a way even I cannot expect or predict."_

_"Perhaps it is love."_

_"Perhaps...."_

_She kisses him. He blushes while looking just a bit sheepish. She giggles again. He kisses her. They kiss at the same time and he puts his arm around her while she pulls the other into position. She slides her hands around his slim waistline. They kiss quite a bit more for the remainder of the dream scape trip. Smiles form on their unconscious bodies._

***

Elsewhere in Gotham, Bruce learns that Jason, Dick, Clark, John, and Oliver are planning his bachelor party, which he tries to persuade them out of doing though even Vic got brought into this against his will, more or less. Diana discovers Lois, Donna, Shayera, Zatanna, Dinah, and Helena have gotten together to spring a party on the future Mrs. Wayne. In public they are marrying as Kane Black and Callista Turan. Both Bruce and Diana agreed to do something exotic for a honeymoon so its visit countries in or bordering the Pacific Ocean such as Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Lois' expected delivery date is around the same month as the intended wedding month. The kids of the Watchers are in the care of the Nelsons for the weekend. Everything seems almost too good, but then that is the problem of something good, the fear of never getting, the fear of having, the fear of losing. Most ignore that compulsion to seek out the next bump in the road so instead they would have to wait even if they were suspicious.

***

Audrey and her entourage are on the next flight to Gotham. She and Vandal had gotten back together in recent months. He had lost interest in control, it felt ridiculous to pursue leadership after what happen during Near 09 and how Audrey was almost killed if not for him going after her that day. The monarchy had made a hopeful pursuit to mediate between the factions. Diana had been on hand to witness the rough transition to a somewhat more benign government. Audrey had done her best yet even Kasnia had to move on as did other nations recovering from the man made disasters. An electorate is setup to determine a parliamentary form of legislature, there is no sense concentrating power right now, but the country is on stilts so the European Federation offers its financial support for the upcoming year as well as providing some agricultural support yet outside influences is kept to a minimal in order for Kasnians to feel like the rebuilding is still primarily theirs alone. Audrey made this clear to the Federation because her people a proud one even with what has happen to them. The symbolism is something she had picked up from her friendship with Diana and having met her intended husband, she really saw it.

She is glad for the opportunity to repay Diana for her efforts for Kasnia by at least being there for her closest friend's wedding though for now its just getting to Diana's party set for the upcoming week.

***

"You sure about this?" queries Faraday.

"No doubts, Cadmus is at it again," responds Petersen.

"Darn, where is Waller?"

"Safe house in Sector Eight."

"Right, I need to speak to her."

"I am already here Faraday."

"I called her anticipating your request."

"Bucking for a promotion?"

"Maybe..."

There is a brief pause between the three of them.

"You saw the report then?" questions Faraday

"Yes, they are engineered a countermeasure team to the Watchers' Founders," states Faraday.

"Much worse than just cloning Supergirl.," comments Petersen.

"Word has it, they put her on ice in favor of this team," continues Faraday.

"Who is behind it?," quips Waller.

"Hamilton and Lord."

"Perfect," grumbles Waller.

***

The following night atop Gotham Towers, Ace sits dangling her feet in the cool draft up here when Paladin appears behind her.

"Been expecting you," she murmurs to him.

"Been looking for you as usual," he whispers to her.

The moonlight casts their shadows against the rooftop. They embrace with a tender kiss, unsure of how it would feel for real.

_Well, it's a marvelous night for a moon dance  
_

He grins just a little at her before another kiss.

_With the stars up above in your eyes_

She notes his eyes are two different shades of blue.

_A fantabulous night to make romance_

The sadness in her face lessens just a little.

_'Neath the cover of October skies_

His intensity is overwhelming to her.

_And all the leaves on the trees are falling_

Autumn is unique to places like Gotham.

_To the sound of the breezes that blow_

The draft plays with her hair, it billows in the air.

_And I'm trying to please to the calling_

His arms feel warm to her and her lips taste good to him.

_Of your heart-strings that play soft and low_

She figures Stephanie had it right the night before.

_And all the night's magic seems to whisper and hush_

He begins to grasp why he told Tim those things now.

_And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush_

The darkness hides her blush and they kiss some more.

* * *

A/N 1: A host of somewhat original characters appear or mentioned as part of Cadmus' countermeasure team to the Watchers. One so far is active that being code name operative Paladin. Each of them shares genetics with someone from the Watchers, in some cases just the one, and in others two or more.

A/N 2: Power descriptions hint at who their genetic progenitors are though I pretty much gave away who his genetic progenitors. Loosely influenced by the genetics revelation from JLU episode Epilogue. Paladin develops feelings for his quarry Ace, which complicates things for Cadmus who sent him to get her back or kill her if that's impossible. As he already tells they made him too well, he shares his genetic progenitors' respect for life.

A/N 3: The others code names are mythological or literary based. The mainstay cast of the story are relegated to cameo or mentions in this chapter.

A/N 4: Enter Stephanie Brown, love interest for Tim Drake. Had them provided some sort of sage or just bit wisdom to Ace and Paladin.

A/N 5: Obviously the Ultimen were decommisioned and Galatea is put in stasis after Near 09. Cadmus went to ground yet Maxwell Lord is looking to advance his own agenda with a team of super powers or metahumans on his side.


	23. Heralds

"So what have we learned about this new undertaking by Cadmus so far?"

"It is referred to as Progeny, the specific directives are the creation of seven operatives."

"What is their mission?"

"To infiltrate, to replace, and if necessary terminate the Watchers' Founders."

"Anyone specific?"

"The first one codenamed Paladin is to eliminate Batman..."

"What about the others?"

"We aren't sure yet..."

"In most cases I guess we could presume that any of the surviving former Justice Lords are the primary targets."

"Likely, so do we alert Wayne now or wait?"

Waller knows they are not alone yet makes no effort to expose the intruders just yet.

"You think I had not known about Paladin already?" says a voice.

"How did you get pass security?" quips Petersen.

"Trade secrets..." answers the voice.

"...and no inclination to tell those to anyone" continues another voice.

The two had become aware of each just before they both spoke to the trio in the room.

"I take that you are the one called... Paladin."

"No introduction necessary for you... Batman."

"Continue with your report then," commands Waller.

"The others beside myself are Cratos, Nemesis, Satis, Vulcan, Lazarus, and Deimos."

"All mythological inspired code names."

"Correct... I think you already worked out some of their lineage."

"The most obvious of the six is Cratos... strength and power... Superman... the previous times... it failed and you got Bizarro... next and more arrogantly so is Galatea."

"She is on ice as one might say... too unstable for their purposes."

"Nemesis...retribution styled concept of Justice...female... Diana or Donna maybe."

"Actually she's a hybrid of Nightwing and Donna Troy."

"Then that would make you a hybrid as well... duplicating me would not be enough... my martial arts expertise and the strength of an Amazon."

"Quite a supposition..."

"Also your eyes are not identical..."

"How did you know that?"

"You already know."

"Someone told you or you already had that worked out."

"Satis...war, hunting, and fertility in Egyptian mythos...Shayera... of course."

"Right... decipher the rest if you can."

"Vulcan... a diversion in the naming... probably J'onn... Lazarus suggests someone who might be dead... Flash... and Deimos...suggests dread... another hybrid."

"Twice right, but again can you decipher Deimos?"

"I need a visual at least."

The projected adult faces of the other six are shown. Cratos is almost the spitting image of Superman except for the genetic drift that gives him silver strands in part of his hair. Nemesis resembles both her genetic parents. Satis looks almost exactly like Shayera. Vulcan looks like J'onn except the skin is white like the Invaders' skin and not green. Lazarus half looks like Wally and the other half establishes his other parent as the sorceress known as Jinx. As for Deimos, his skin is green yet his hair is a mix of green and purple, none of the Lords have these physical characteristics, so they must be from among the Watchers. Faraday runs cross comparisons until the projected helix of Deimos identifies his parents as Garfield Logan and Rachel Roth, former members of the Titans, an adolescent counterpart to the former Justice Lords, their team broke up then had become a cell of the Outsiders and more recently the Watchers.

"None of them seem a counterpart to a Lantern."

"A Green Lantern is not seen as a serious threat though the existence of Lazarus is meant to achieve a dual purpose... speed and energy."

"They seem to have all they need in those six, so why you Paladin?"

"I am a test, whether or not they terminate me is still in question, but as I told Ace, they made me too well."

"More their error than your downfall."

"They'll be ready for their own field tests before long and I still have to deal with Ace."

"Who says you have to? Maxwell Lord?"

"No, he isn't the one who controls the kill switch for us, that would be Hamilton, however Lord and his allies are the ones pressuring him in order to the convince the others among the new Cadmus leadership to support a true counterpart army to your Watchers."

"I guess Near 09 taught them nothing except well you are good for stopping annihilation of everything, but we still think we are better off with binding loyalty then reliance on actual people with minds and hearts, factor this Galatea was uncontrollable, Doomsday is in the Zone, and the Ultimen all suffered from genetic degradation."

"New precautions were made including this thing in my brain... if I got too far out of line, they flick a switch, hit a button, and I am dead. They fear you always."

"Figures, well I guess we better get going then since we know what we need to know at least about what these six plus you were made for now."

***

Paladin on his way to find Ace is met by Cratos and Nemesis who are done with the acceleration protocol, there are no advantages for him except to use a Kryptonite sliver against Cratos and hope it works otherwise, he's not going to be able to hold them off at the same time. Nemesis suddenly starts seeing doubles of Paladin, which is of course the handiwork of Ace. She mentally tells him to flee quickly after Cratos succumbs fo for a time to Kryptonite, it works fortunately plus his immunity to it is comparable to the first time it had afflicted Superman years ago when Luthor first discovers the Man of Steel's one physical vulnerability. Nemesis heads straight for Ace or she thinks its Ace, the elusive telepath however eludes as she is already below street level with Paladin. Cratos is sent back on the pursuit of Superman whereas Satis and Vulcan are sent after Shayera and J'onn. The only problem is that they were already told to expect unwelcome visitors thanks to Batman of course.

***

Meanwhile Deimos impersonating his genetic father intercepts his genetic mother by appealing to their platonic friendship, she is the first to be taken next to impersonate her to capture the real Garfield Logan. As for Lazarus, he is sent to abduct Linda Park who is pregnant with his genetic father's child. He uses his genetic mother's magic to silence her so no one can hear her pleas for help. Deimos arrives for the pickup after both Gar and Rachel are in stasis. Linda is kept out of the pods because they prefer that she birth the kid then be sent away. They would raise the next speedster to adhere to their directives alone. Deimos impersonates Nightwing when going to see Kory with news of the other costumes' abductions. As for going to Victor, it would take something a little more creative, because unlike the others, Victor's cybernetic eye would see through the shape shifters guise. He sent a message to lure Victor to the chosen place, at the agreed time except Deimos and Nemesis team up to capture him. It succeeds though Victor does get a couple of shots in though Nemesis due to part of her genetic heritage is physically resistant to energy blasts. All the former Titans except the real Nightwing is still out there or rather the former Nightwing.

***

Kory fell for the trick easily yet once Deimos shifts back, she realizes her error though she is already slipping into unconsciousness as she tries to resist the sedative. Deimos then assumes the guise of Kory to pay D.A. Grayson a visit on his way home from the office. He tries not to overplay the part yet appear distraught enough when coming to him with news that their old friends are disappearing, 'she' claims that she spoke to Victor just before his disappearance. Deimos made a fake message impersonating Victor then did a panoramic shot of Nemesis coming for him. Dick wants to contact others to assist except as she is about to call this in, he feels a pinprick sensation and he turns around its no longer Kory rather someone that looks like him instead. The only shape shifter he knows is Gar and this is not him naturally yet there is something familiar about the mannerisms. Nemesis takes the unconscious Dick to join his former teammates as Deimos will have to impersonate Dick to get close to the former Batgirl, Dick's wife and hope she cannot tell he is not Dick.

Deimos/Dick enters the loft that the Graysons live in and almost immediately, a toddler age girl latches onto his leg and then backs off as if sensing something is wrong. She sort of stumbles off to find someone, to warn them, so Deimos picks the girl up then takes her upstairs presumably to her room then sedates her too to make it look like a nap hopefully anyone else that sees the child buys the trick. Barbara is back from her shopping for the new baby's room and calls out for the girl though he had not heard the girl, so he could not approximate her voice. He instead goes down and tells Barbara that their daughter is asleep. She gives him this look as if something is again not right yet he has no time to attack against what she suspects about as she judo kicks him across the room yet the fact that he floats off the ground a split second later confirms what Bruce already told her. Someone operating for Cadmus is after them again and so she activates the locator beacon then runs upstairs hoping to find Cass before its too late. She picks up Cass just as Deimos/Dick tries to corner her. They beam away to the Watchers' facility in Gotham and Deimos curses himself, the first slip after bagging all the former Titans except for Donna that felt to Nemesis.

He contacts the handler, Colonel Flagg. Flagg of course is furious aside from a stack of success, it depends on hitting them all simultaneously, which is out of the question unless they cut the news from spreading. Deimos searches for a way to infiltrate the Gotham City Watcher facility though of course he would have to pretend to be someone other than one of the captive heroes.

***

Nemesis is sent after Donna next who had been expecting her and the two brawl quite openly as Kyle comes back from his art studio in Metropolis. He quickly uses the ring to switch him into costume just so he can back her up without revealing his identity to her attacker.

***

As for Lazarus, he is on Inara's trail in an attempt to capture her, but of course the element is surprise is long lost to them.

***

Satis makes her move on Shayera only to be met with a backhand to face, a trick Shayera had learned from Batman, one that often causes some chuckles or giggles when he does it. A criminal, a thug, anyone who foolishly believes they can get one up on Batman often learns painfully with a nosebleed or a sore face that comes from walking right into that move.

Satis stumbles backwards before the two start clashing with a mace and an axe. She had not fought the equivalent of herself before yet having fought Hro and other Thanagarians in training had given her the edge hopefully over. Satis however does not fight clean and somehow injures Shayera without damaging latter's wings then turns her attention to little Warren. This further enrages Shayera as she tackles the doppelganger and as the two wrestle it takes them perilously close to the open patio and a drop of several stories. They had gotten better residence due to John's civilian jobs, the Guardians were still keeping him on a short leash aside from the fact that so many others had returned to active duty before and since Near 09. Stewart did not mind having the Lantern responsibilities being on someone else for awhile at least he told her that, but she remembers how Rex had tried to go civilian only to have that accident that took his life, but of course nothing did prepare the six of them for the way that Wally died before they took power into their own hands. She wonders if they will always be paying for what they did then, it seems so with her wrestling with someone who looks almost exactly like her except for the fact that she has much shorter hair, shorter then Diana's cut at that time, and she concentrates a charge through the mace as she swings it except someone else had been with Satis, Lazarus had caught Inara on her day off, and by completing that capture quickly he went to seek out others who might need backup.

The 'delay' with Satis gets him sent there so he picks up the child and the almost two year old grabs Lazarus' hand so hard that he almost breaks the doppelganger's fingers.

"Got your mama's grip I see..."

"You let go of my son..."

"Love too, but not happening..."

"Why do you look familiar?"

"Half my genes come from a dead man... Lazarus... two to teleport now!"

"Oh, no you don't..."

Her maternal focus unfortunately leaves her open to being hit over the head and taken in by Deimos who had also come to help out. One wonders how Satis could hope to fool John. She stays out of the light so when he arrives home and looks around, he finds the sitting room a mess, the playpen is empty, and who he thinks is Shayera, is Satis in reality. He bends down to check her, she's faking, yet as she stirs, he smiles not knowing the whole story, so she jabs him lightly with a sedative injection. He flops on her and so she wonders what her genetic origins saw in this man, of course, he must have something yet Satis sees only an enemy in him. Cadmus special operations training had taken to her just as the Thanagarian training had made her genetic origins such an adept fighter. Satis had her work cut out for her when they fought yet unlike Shayera, she did not have this behavior rooted in concerns for others nor had she seen why Shayera had become so torn when Lazarus took the boy. She had read that she had a child yet it meant nothing to Satis, at least not yet if ever.

***

Cratos in disguise infiltrates the Daily Planet and attempts to learn where Lois Lane is today so learns she is at Metropolis General for an ultrasound, a kid, nobody told Cratos about that, let alone if anyone had known, then again his genetic origins probably kept that under wraps, but he is the primary target in this operation, so get him where it hurts is the word from Flagg. The likeliest source would be to go after his lover, she would be a bargaining chip other than the parents. He gets into the hospital and uses his x-ray vision to visually locate her after learning what part of the hospital is responsible for pregnancies. Lois is already on her way out though this is the first time Cratos has ever seen a woman other than his teammates and so he halts, seeing why his genetic origins or progenitor had fallen for this woman.

Nevertheless the mission imperative takes precedence. He follows her back to her car where another woman is waiting for her, the other woman in their lives, the woman that had dated his progenitor years ago, Lana Lang. Lana had offered to look after Lois in tandem with others while Clark is busy, which he had gladly been happy.

The so-called heroes had been staying below the radar as much as they could yet occasionally natural disasters striking the Midwestern states brought Clark back into action in order to protect people from a string of tornadoes that caused a great deal of property damage and thankfully only had injuries and no casualties. Kara had also been on hand, they did minimal and did lend time to help rebuild as men like Oliver Queen sent supplies and money for rebuilding efforts to alleviate the government recovery spending, and one often wonders why happens closer to 'home' left to hang in the winds. Somehow one does not ever really get away from what one feels a compulsion to do and so most are just grateful for the ability to get back to their homes among other things as quick as they can instead of being left to wait for a resolution. The system works only when there are people there to cross the divides and find a place to build from again instead of stumbling by old fears and suspicions, but of course nobody can truly map out why things tumble along this way.

The rebuilding efforts made by his progenitor are puzzling given Cadmus' directives in regards to him in particular, but of course his one time herald status to Apokolips over a decade ago will haunt him forever and of course it'll affect him. People invest too much in the idea that costumes were once infallible until one by one or many at a time made fails that warrant this behavior towards them now. A single slip had been enough to turn Hamilton and many others against the record of Superman, so perhaps there is a truism to allowance in need and condemning in fear.

***

Cratos slides under the car and stays there until they are far enough away from Metropolis for him to teleport them out of the car then keep it going straight into the sight of the farm. They split second beam the trio just seconds before the vehicle explodes, seen quite clearly by Clark who speeds runs to vehicle yet in the wreckage there seems no sign that anyone was in it when it had blown, he had to believe that otherwise he lost both women who matter deeply to him after his adopted Earth mother and father.

His communications terminal goes off, a message from Kara at the Metropolis Watcher facility, several high profile Watcher abductions had been made in the past several hours, but some including Barbara's were prevented thanks to Bruce's warnings. He informs her that he believes they are not limiting to costumes, which is verifiable as Shayera, John, and Warren were all taken less than two hours ago. He tells her to add Lois and Lana to the list aside from having seen the car blow up, he is certain that nobody was in it. Fate arrives with Palmer to examine the wreckage to be sure and it turns out Clark's assessment is dead on especially when there are trace surges of a teleport prior to the explosion. Faraday's people escort the Kents and several other individuals to a secure Insiders' compound in order to hopefully ensure nobody gets them as bargaining chips. Faraday insists quite clearly that Lord and his 'cabal' have gone too far this time.

"You don't have to tell any of us that, the files that Paladin had given us plus what happen to several others since then is clear that they are after us, to replace us, to kill us if the Lord decides it should happen, and so what are we going to do now?" says Clark.

"For the moment, we don't where they were taken though I suspect Paladin might have an inkling," comments Bruce.

"There attempt to capture J'onn did not succeed yet he has gone to where he believes he must go based on what he could determine from Vulcan's surface thoughts, now most know J'onn can't read another Martian's thoughts, but we also put Vulcan through an interrogation cycle and found out where he had come, so J'onn as Vulcan is going there in the hopes he might be able to lead us to the others unless his cover gets blown."

"It is fortunate we had the heads up from Paladin otherwise our numbers might be quite a bit fewer."

"Yes, so where is he?"

Paladin steps out of the shadows.

"I have been here awhile waiting per Batman's request and I have relayed what I can to J'onn about where he should go aside from what had been taken from Vulcan's mind. The neural scattering field prevents him from telepathically reaching out to anyone whether to simply talk or manipulate someone to release him. There are abilities that J'onn never uses that Cadmus is willing to exploit to remove any of you and kill you as I already told before."

"You mean he do things that J'onn almost did to Kragger several years ago?"

"Worse than that... he did destroy minds if he had to or thought he had to... you see our morality is whatever it takes... even things you did as the Justice Lords though recoil from now realizing the cost in terms of mind, body, and emotions... without the recoil, without the human or personal factors... they are worse than the Lords except Cadmus believes they have control."

"I already know what its like to have my powers without holding onto being Clark as much as possible. Just as Batman by virtue of his out-of-costume lifestyle knows that without it to ventilate occasionally, we couldn't keep doing what we do, but of course Cadmus in its latest perversion desires a means to deal us out if the want to."

***

Ace wipes her nose, had a near nosebleed from the strain of tricking Nemesis, but she had to, in order to get Paladin away from them. Diana offers her some tea Alfred had made and the younger woman gladly sips it, it is a change to actually have someone care about her like Batman, like this woman, and especially Paladin.

"How are you feeling?" asks Diana.

"Aside from the strain of tricking Nemesis and helping Paladin evade Cratos, I would say well," answers Ace.

"I mean how you feel, not what happen."

"I am unaccustomed to the query, usually the questions were can you move this with your mind or any other such questions."

"Well I am certain Paladin is grateful for your assistance."

"He and I kissed the other night."

"How was that?"

"One of the best nights since my escape."

"I could say the same about..."

"...Batman."

"Did you read my mind?"

"No, he just walked in."

"Hello Ace."

"Is Paladin with you?"

"I am here Ace."

"I think we should leave these two alone for now."

She hugs him tightly after he comes over to her and Diana grins a little at them. She notices something familiar about the boy's hair then realizes why, it looks like Bruce's yet the shine seems stronger. Once in another room in Gotham's Watchers facility Diana asks who the boy's parents.

"Cadmus made him from our DNA."

"What? How could they do that?"

"Mine isn't hard to get, I mean I got injured all over the city, who knows what amounts of blood I could have left behind, but the question is how for you."

"Somebody could have gotten from before I got my powers back otherwise using a needle on me would be pointless. I can be injured, but I rarely bleed unless I'm really hurt."

"Perhaps, but for now, it seems we have a son whether we looking to that or not."

"We haven't even married yet and there is adolescent in apperance boy that is made from our genes."

"There is more..."

"She spoke of Cratos and Nemesis... Cratos in Greek means strength and power... as for Nemesis she is retributive justice... so Cratos is another shot at making another Kryptonian?"

"Right and Nemesis if I interpret correctly is made from the DNA of Dick and Donna..."

"What are they doing? They are engineering children to kill us if Cadmus decides our lives are forfeit."

"They made him too well if you get my meaning my pretty star."

"Like father, like sun then... heh.. meant son."

"Have us a kiss then?"

"Definitely need to remember what that feels and tastes like!"

She wraps her arms around Bruce and takes in the warmth among other things about him she alone had been privy to know when he let her in again and again. She fits so well once he found a way to continue the mission with her in it, he might not be as active as he used to be, but right now it seems the Watchers benefit more from my advice and the occasional involvement of their international predecessors.

***

Paladin and Ace investigate the backyard to find that there are swings that were still there and kept up to date as Cassandra had been using one fit for a toddler yet there were ones made for older kids as well as capable of holding adolescent or adult weight. They sit down in them and Ace encourages him to swing with the current or the air. He actually starts laughing at how fun it feels, which made her smile again like she had the other night when they first kissed for real. Tim had come over with Stephanie and both show some surprise to see those two in the same space as well as laughing for that matter. Paladin seem so like Bruce and as for Ace, she seem eager to experience what it meant to be a human being for once. Bruce had told Tim to come by simply because he is likely on the list or at least they should make they stick together since Cadmus had been picking them up in ones or twos though going for a whole group would be a logistics issue unless they went in all barrels blazing.

"See you two finally got together," jests Stephanie.

"I suspect you are with him now," replies Ace.

"How did she?" questions Stephanie.

"She's telepathic," answers Tim.

"Read my mind then."

"No, you are just well got a glow that you are trying to conceal."

"Some people are just very intuitive too."

"Dinner is ready young masters and mistresses," calls Alfred.

"We are coming Alfie."

"Do wish you wouldn't nickname me Master Timothy."

"Relax Alfred, you dining with us tonight?"

"I think I shall since you ask."

Alfred made even the simplest dishes so hearty, he is never just a butler or a cook, he is family, a paternal paragon of sagely one liners and a pillar who had his own testing most of all with Batman's early years well up to the recent Near 09. It had been all Master Bruce's former wards and costumed partners that did well to remind him that people make mistakes, so we must forgive them, must find some way to move on, and remember what we value most in that person even when they falter, but of course Alfred had known not everyone would forgive Batman or his costumed comrades. They are people putting all on the line to a thankless profession, sure they get the thanks, the ceremonial nods, the praise, but he had seen how the world had come to fear them, despise them, he had seen how even he had fallen into the standards twitch yet for him it had been personal, not professional or hero worship or just brimming with expectations.

He had known Bruce Wayne since diapers, the genesis of Batman had been from one painful night yet in time Alfred would remind him his purpose, his influence went beyond that and he had heard it quite often from the most unlikeliest of people who spoke of Batman to him. He had kept the faith, kept the secret all the while tending to the costumes and gadgetry as well as relying on their connections that had become more personal then one would think like with Earl Cooper, the mechanic responsible for designing several versions of the Batmobile and co-designer of the more heavily armored Bat Tank aka Tumbler.

Cooper is just one many people who got a job and a steady income out of helping Batman, not that Bruce could not handle all the works himself, but often he had to utilize what he could plus the income help Earl put his daughter Marva through school in order to learn the garage and body shop trade like her father. Batman and Bruce often had these deceptively subtle impacts on lives from the highest authorities like Jim Gordon to those scratching out a 'living' or racket runners. It had been those things that always made Alfred proud of Bruce even when the man had doubts about his effects on Gotham, but it had remain the butler's place to push the man onward by reminding him it is not always the headliners that count, of course he had come to realize Alfred had it right though even Bruce would still push on the heavy hitters.

They were often back to match wits, body, and will with him yet his persistence often left to their downfall. He had made a point of investigating ways to restore the inmates to their former selves if possible yet in that he opens the prospects of having them back as criminals though for him they deserve more than spending the remainder of their lives as lobotomized patients. At the same time this new countermeasure team presents a new problem as they were after the Watchers in order to shut them down regardless of what it took and they had already gotten more than a few despite his warnings to many. It had to count that those who had gotten away would be there to help him rescue the others.

However for now to attend to things like eating dinner, sure he could push himself to work and fight hungry yet for sake of getting it done while fit and full matters more. He had been glad to have Alfred back especially for the cooking and the advice had come back in time too. It often had made for witty exchanges between them too.

***

Cratos tosses an unconscious Kyle in a stasis pod, then tosses a knocked out Roy, yet places Donna in a pod in between them, Nemesis got the joke, even if they were out cold, she's still has the two of them after her though she had decided on Kyle according to the files. As for Jade she had been left unconscious back in Hokkaido where she and he had been staying for the past few weeks since their reunion in Tokyo. The other targets are still out there evading capture, which annoys the Director and Maxwell Lord, but the meager success is indication enough that this team can do what they are told except for the variables on dormant personal predispositions brought on by the moral compass and genetic prevalence. They had gone all out to prevent that once Hamilton reports that Paladin is strongly exhibiting behavior that mimics Batman. They would attempt to capture him for reprogramming otherwise the plan is to terminate him then start over with another hybrid with the necessary conditioning to make him more tenable. The attempt to capture him would be harder then they think given his level of intellect given who they made him from in the first place.

* * *

A/N 1: It is notable tendency for Batman to appear and disappear during conversations so I lent the habit to Paladin since he is half-Batman in a way. The two sort of play off each in an intellectual way proving as usual that his body and mind are well trained.

A/N 2: The doppelgangers or hybrids and replicants are capturing others readily though some elude capture thanks to well timed warnings about strangers looking to get them. However not everyone sees through the disguise so that made it simpler yet for others it took something extra to get them.

A/N 3: Project Progeny is the program responsible for these operatives who share much in common with who their genetic makeup is made from yet so far only Paladin has attempted to defy the mission because as noted, he was of course made too well, so they may kill him though him sharing much with Batman and Wonder Woman won't make that an easy task if at all possible.

A/N 4: One mystery that baffles some they don't admit it, is why are they after the children? Bargaining chips maybe, but it could be more.


	24. Thicker Than Blood

_"Status?" _chirps Oracle.

Barbara stood down from this mission to become Oracle because she would not leave Cass alone given the experience with the shape shifting impostor. Stephanie had gone in her place as Batgirl. Tim is back in the field as Robin and carries an extra costume for Dick once he is out of stasis. Diana carries something similar for Donna yet time is not on their side in this situation. J'onn's infiltration of the facility has so far gone unnoticed yet sooner or later someone might catch on that the individual they think is Vulcan is not their loyalist operative.

Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, and Batgirl are covering different rooftop positions from the location that J'onn had sent back telepathically. Paladin had already gotten inside with Ace. The two were quite remarkable too many yet somehow it did not surprise Batman, he only worries that his genetically engineered 'son' will overestimate his advantage yet if they were as alike as he had seen so far, the young Paladin would not make that mistake. The physiological limits on Ace are too slim so she is told to restrict the use of her powers again yet there is a worry that she may end up having to overdo it if a tense situation arises yet many are hell or Tartarus bent on avoiding this prospect.

"We are in position." relays Diana.

"What about the others?" queries Batman.

"We are standing by." answers Clark.

"Time to get the captives." continues Oliver.

Green Arrow is here because they had gotten to Dinah and the twins before he could get back to the family. As the heavy hitters had proven harder to reach, they took their attention to the presumed vulnerabilities with the children. In Dinah's capture someone got her in a headlock to prevent her from using the subsonic call then put dampener headband on her to keep her from concentrating to use it. Zatanna had come with Oliver as did Jason as Etrigan as well as Fate. Families usually rally when someone harms any of their numbers though it is dangerous in a different way to go after the families or family members of the costumes, they took such things with disdain and intend to handle it so their members, their children are freed from captivity.

"Do we know how to bypass security?" questions Oliver.

"Paladin's access codes has given us some edge," responds Zatanna.

"However magic is a potent ally as well," comments Fate.

"They would expect us anyway," retorts Etrigan.

Clark's purpose here is to recover his wife and mother of his eventual firstborn as well as getting back the woman both view as the probable godmother to that child. Lois and Lana are too precious to him to let anything happen to them. Kara is at his side with Vic and Helena. They leff Felix with Barbara, Cass, and Alfred.

"This is more than just fear on their part," remarks Kara.

"Their motives produce remarkably similar patterns each time," states Vic.

"What patterns? They replicate, they kidnap, and heck if they want, they would kill us all," says Helena.

"You would expect nothing less from them, they are more than afraid after all," replies Clark.

"Precisely, fear brings out all the things we claim we would never do, a lot of emotions tend to strip away from this conditioning we believe to be the true face. The true face is what happens when you take away everything except the things we ought to never compromise even if the world is on the verge of ending," continues Vic.

***

"They are all massing against different parts of the perimeter, let them in, then seal the exits," orders the Director.

"It is the plan," answers Lord.

"Is it?" quips the Director.

"Would I lie to you?"

"If it fit your designs yes you would lie to me."

"Think so little of me still don't you Ducard?"

Ducard had gotten this position after mass infiltration into all the infrastructure in governments and law enforcement agencies worldwide in the wake of the Society's failure during Near 09. Ra's Al-Ghul's ultimate reset measure had been brought to a halt by the former Justice Lords acting then under the title Outsiders, subsequently as many had already known, they had become the Watchers. He had not however been able to tract down Talia or her genetically engineered son Darius yet by the same token he had made a genetically engineered son from Wayne and the crusader's intended wife, the Amazonian plus six others that had proven quite loyal so far yet there is still the variable of Paladin. The first though obviously given too much 'free will' if Hamilton's concerns are any indication, if it should become necessary they would kill Paladin and start fresh with someone more pliable. 'Ducard' had made an alliance with the foremost authority on psychological and physiological conditioning who had a notable history of dislike and disdain for Gotham's Dark Knight. This particular doctor had a reputation that went back to the fact that he had slain his own parents, which by a genesis concept alone made him an inversion of Batman and Bruce Wayne, but what less could you expect with the remaining Rogues for Batman.

The conditioning program used on the six after Paladin had been his handiwork plus he is unhappy with the fact that they let Paladin out early, he had been set to mentally manipulate all of them yet he could still turn the six on Paladin simultaneously if he so desires such a feat.

***

Batman and Wonder Woman make the most direct line to the holding areas for where the children are being kept in hopes that nothing has happen to them yet.

Robin and Batgirl infiltrate security then quietly subdue the guards before setting up the rotating scramblers to generate vacant footage for the next thirty minutes.

J'onn as Vulcan is minding the stasis pod chambers as he is the most medically minded of any of them yet he will require the assistance of Fate, Zatanna, and Etrigan to rouse the sleepers once he releases them from the cold sleep.

Superman and Supergirl speed through the facility knocking out as many guards as they before anyone can raise an alarm, which is going surprising well for now. However the only real impediment are the Cadmus Six as they have been nicknamed.

Paladin is struck from behind by the mysterious doctor that had done the mental conditiong of the Six. Ace attempts to come to his aid except she is cut off by the isolated security protocols that separate the Doctor's lab from the rest of the facility.

***

"You are too much like him of course nobody would believe me when I made such warnings early on nor did they consult me before sending you out as a test to deal with that upstart Ace!" snarls the Doctor.

"Still nursing a grudge that they made you an almost second fiddle to Hamilton... Dr. Hollis!" retorts Paladin.

"You know well enough that I am not Hollis... nor more than Ducard is Ducard."

"No you are really Thomas Elliot and he is really David Cain... the current leader of the Society of Assassins."

"Figures you would inherit his intellect and having his martial arts deference amplified by her Amazonian strength."

"I suspect Maxwell told you nothing about some other things though you probably dug it up on your own."

"Lord knows less than he thinks... he was put in charge of Progeny because they need a fall guy if this thing flops like it did with the Ultimen and Galatea."

"Of course you know each of us has a fail safe..."

"A fatal one I might add... and I am eager to test yours... after a couple of rounds."

Paladin dodges and feints against every attempt to hit him, which is increasingly annoying Elliot/Hush. As for Ace, Ducard/Cain is after her trying to provoke her into using her powers because she lacks the martial knowledge of someone like Paladin yet instead she keeps dodging him at every turn with more of her tendency to lose people by taking the least obvious turns though she'll run out of alternate routes sooner or later notes Cain. She kept reminding herself she could not risk overextending or overexerting her powers for it carries more fatal consequences then a nose bleed. Cain intends for any perceived victories to be hollow and so where Ra's had lost, he would win despite a pyrrhic triumph for the Watchers.

***

Meanwhile the Six engage the Kryptonians several levels up and it is peculiar for Cratos to encounter Kara as he had only previously seen recordings her fights with Galatea as well as seeing Galatea on ice or in stasis. Kara pile drives the youthful doppelganger through several walls. Zatanna and Etrigan engage Nemesis who holds her own until Wonder Woman head slams the hybrid of her sister and her intended husband's former ward through the floor. Batman navigates deeper searching for Maxwell Lord after Wonder Woman, after Diana catches up to Batman, to Bruce. They of course find Lord a little too easily and sure enough Lord is carrying quite a few weapons for defense. Diana steps between them as he fires dual wield pistols and she deflects the blasts with ease so both wonder if Lord knows about her ability to deflect weapons fire why bother shooting until he unleashes an electro-whip that's apparently capable of stunning her.

As she crumples he takes the opportunity to fire at Batman again except with wrist gauntlets, which injure him a little too well and he walks over to them to gloat just a little, his mistake as he picks up Diana as his hidden battle suit while augmenting his strength, does not protect him from the supernatural though it can compensate to a degree. She kicks him square in the jaw after commenting that there is such a thing as faking a knock out. As he flies clear across the room, it becomes clear that Batman's injuries are severe yet not life threatening at least not yet, she would have to hold Maxwell off indefinitely to protect him. She charges him yet this time he amps up the charge in the gloves when he grabs her wrists before she can send him flying with a shove from her heeled boots. Batman struggles to his feet then flick releases as many batarangs as he can, which Lord dodges except for the one that is capable of reversing electricity in any device it hits, and so fries the electric systems in his battle suit.

"You care to try something so foolish again Lord?" says Batman.

"l can pry this right, but you can't pluck all the bullets out can you?" retorts Lord.

Lord keeps firing away at Batman until several bullets fell the Dark Knight leaving him to bleed to death before returning his attention to Wonder Woman except she is not on the floor where he left her, something connects with the back of his neck, and he crumples to the floor. She spin tosses the arrogant Lord through several walls before rushing to Batman, to Bruce.

"Stay awake... you have to tell me how to pull these out!"

"Pull off my gauntlets and my belt now."

She does so and then guides his fingers to each bullet hole. He groans and grunts as he plucks each bullet. She had seen him in pain before yet it is unnerving to watch him pull bullets out of his own body. He grits his teeth then asks her to pull out heating discs from the second slot on the right side of his belt then activate the disc and press it against each wound.

"It'll stop the bleeding... as for the rest... it'll have to wait... we still have captives to release..."

"We have to get you a medical facility soon... you will not risk your survival for a mission when there are plenty others here to finish the task..."

"Not this time Diana... I won't rest until the others held here are safe..."

"So stubborn..."

"Part of why you love me so much isn't it Princess?"

"You know my heart well... but if the injuries start to affect you too much... we are pulling out!"

"Wouldn't dream of resisting in that state."

***

"Where are we?" grumbles Linda.

"Cadmus facility probably," answers Lois.

"Lois Lane?" gasps Linda.

"Linda Park, I presume," jokes Lois.

"You can still make a quip when our lives are at stake?"

"If I know Superman and the others well... they are already on their way to get us or they are already in here given the noises I can sort of hear right now."

"Maybe it has more to do with your child... if it is Superman's right."

"Perhaps he or she can hear Daddy."

"You look like you could pop at any time now... how much time you have left?"

"A few weeks... and you?"

"Still a couple months to go."

On the other side, Vic and Helena banter back and forth about how to open it until Oliver fires several exploding arrows at the locking mechanism forcing the door open so they tend to the mothers to be, Lois is not able to walk on her own at this stage of her pregnancy. They were too far down to risk a teleport so Vic contacts Superman and Supergirl to assist yet they message back that they are stuck with the Six. He tells Oliver to fall back to one of the escape routes with the women yet he refuses to go until he confirms his family's safety.

"Queen I'm telling you to get them out then come back, but not before!"

"I'm going after my family now, so get out of my way!"

"There isn't time for this, Lois and Linda come with me."

Oliver and Vic look to Helena leading them to the internal and lengthy stairwell chain. Someone is there waiting for them, it is Jack, one of the former operatives of the Templar Initiative. He makes several elastic jumps up several flights until passing them off to the Templar strong man Theron and after Theron the carrying task shifts to Kincaid who moves them by moving them through shifting the properties of the energy around them. Lastly once near the surface they are taken outside by Queen then given teleport beacons, which teleport both women to the nearest Insiders' medical facility simply because going back to a Watchers' facility is too obvious right now.

Back within the depths of the facility, the former Templars team up with the Watchers' team led by Oliver.

***

Supergirl pummels Cratos who is unexpectedly distracted by her physique, which keeps him off balanced for a time allowing her to crash him through several floors. Superman is kept busy between Lazarus and Nemesis.

***

As for Deimos he shape shifts into the guise of Zatanna and attacks Etrigan who grips him by the throat then snorts as if knowing it is a trick.

"You smell wrong... you aren't her... Father's transfiguration, mother's alchemy, so reveal the form that hides behind a thousand falsehoods!"

Deimos reverts painfully then Etrigan drops him to the floor as he goes into a fitful position as the real Zatanna appears with Fate after learning where the stasis chambers are from their present position.

"What did you do that guy?" questions Zatanna.

"He tried to fool me into thinking it was you attacking me," answers Etrigan.

"You saw through it or something else tipped his hand," comments Fate.

"The wrong scent," remarks Etrigan.

"You mean my perfume, my body wash, or are we talking the dazzle?" jokes Zatanna

"Dazzle... uh... perfume?" mumbles Etrigan.

"Cute... let's go shall we?" says Zatanna.

Fate chants opening a portal that takes the trio to just outside the cold chambers that house the pods. However as they enter, they find J'onn unconscious in his true form and wonder what happen, that is until they are facing a whole unit of assassins that had been hiding in Cadmus ranks per their leader's instructions whilst he had been masquerading as Henri Ducard with an extensive background in multiple European police agencies including INTERPOL. The three begin engaging the assassins as they attack and yet one wonders how could they fell J'onn so easily that is until he rouses to reveal he had been faking waiting for their arrival so he too springs into action to fight them. Zatanna repeatedly turns their weapons into harmless objects like doves, which in reality are the fake exploding variety that knock out the assassins. J'onn binds several by squeezing to the point that they asphyxiate then he drops them as they pass out from the lack of air. Etrigan just uses a more direct approach by fighting them hand to hand and some are actually afraid of his demonic appearance.

J'onn sets to work on examining the stasis protocols in order to revive them without killing them or leaving them physical damage from the cold.

***

Ace is met at every turn with Cain attacking her to provoke her to use her powers yet she keeps dodging instead of engaging until somehow she ends up in the same area as Paladin who is still fighting Hush. He pushes her behind him as both men close in on them aiming weapons. He could dodge yet it might force her to use her abilities yet if he tries to shield her, she most certainly would try to stop the projectiles. Nobody fires or moves just yet so the waiting begins anew.

***

Nemesis spin kicks Supergirl and wonders how this Kryptonian could have bested an enhanced version of herself so easily yet something about shared genetics occasionally forges an unconscious link between the original and the duplicate. Cratos cannot hold back Superman's attacks for while their powers are virtually equal, the older genetic progenitor retains at least two advantages experience and determination to recover his loved ones. Cratos realizes he has no one to fight for with such intensity yet somewhere in the back of his mind, Hush's conditioning kicks in letting loose the part of him that had been honed for this fight. The corridor rocks when their punches collide and shatter the walls. Supergirl, Kara, uses the attack to overpower Nemesis if that is possible and so she squeezes the half-Amazonian/half-human hybrid until she passes out. Kara turns her attention back towards her 'cousin' and his younger doppelganger.

***

Batman and Wonder Woman race towards the location that they think Paladin with the hopes that they can stop whatever Cadmus is planning to do their genetically engineered 'son', but it is already starting as someone had set off the kill switch except its slow acting though there seems no way to stop it at least for now if ever. Wonder Woman... Diana is feeling surprisingly maternal towards Paladin yet the younger man had already shown some kind of reverence to Batman.. to Bruce as a son would for his father, but she had not taken well to the idea that someone used her DNA and Bruce's to engineer a living weapon let alone us several others to produce at least six others besides Paladin.

***

"Ah, the lovebirds, so you two ready to die together?" quips Cain.

"Nobody is dying today except..." mumbles Paladin.

He crumples to the floor.

"Somebody set it off... didn't they?" yells Ace.

Cain and Hush open fire at both of them so she manipulates the walls into encapsulating a barricade around them yet as she finishes she too crumples to the floor then crawls towards him then lies there in his arms, the only place she ever felt safe even they were to die here like this.

***

Cain turns to flee except his face connects with Diana's fist and so he goes flying just as Batman kicks Hush from the other direction. The two smash into each other then pass out from having their skulls sent into full force collision.

"They must be in there... only Ace could have done this feat," comments Bruce with a slight groan in his voice.

Some blood is dripping from his mouth, the blood might be getting into his lungs and if so there must be an operation soon given the number of bullets that he pulled out of his body through gunshot holes in the Kevlar. Diana tears apart the half sphere. Paladin is already unconscious and his breathing slowing just the same applies to Ace except she is bleeding from both nostrils.

"We have to get them out now!" shouts Diana.

"I know, you take her, I'll take him," responds Bruce.

He leads them to the stairwell shaft then she flies them upward as fast as possible for her, but their time is short aside from Bruce being hurt as well.

"Robin... Batgirl... we had to fall back... severe injuries to myself, to Paladin, and to Ace... you'll have to get the kids... you best hurry along."

_"They already are onto us anyway... see you on the other side Batman."_

***

"I want Mommy," pips Mia.

"Mommy can't help us," says Connor.

"Why do you say that?" asks Mia.

"Mama will save us," mumbles Warren confidently.

A team of Cadmus security personnel target them after breaching the holding room with them in it.

"If those parents of yours want you to survive this... they better stand down," quips Lord.

"They never compromise their beliefs in dealing with the likes of you!" shouts Robin.

"Where is Batman? to shot up to face me?"

"I'd be careful about who you mock from now on Lord!" retorts Batgirl.

Lord orders his men to fire yet the kids attack despite their short stature as toddlers. The guards won't fire, they are just kids, at first some might have thought about it, but they are too cute. Someone in the shadows winks knowingly and then disappears leaving a pile of petals in her wake.

"Why aren't you fools firing!" growls Lord.

"We won't shoot kids Mr. Lord!" answers the security squad leader.

Robin and Batgirl bean Lord with their retractable staffs. He tries to shoot them except his emotionally affected guards tackle him instead leaving Robin and Batgirl to scoop up the kids then take off except halfway on towards the rendevzous Zatanna appears with their still somewhat sleepy from stasis mothers. Both joyfully take the kids before Zatanna magically teleports them all to the stairwell shaft where the rest of the former captives are assembling with help from Fate. Kyle uses his ring to take several up in an energy bubble while Inara races up the stairs with a still knocked out Gar and Rachel. Dick is still groggy as he watches Donna carry an unconscious Roy up the shaft. As he stirs during flight, he notices who his hips are visible then he notices who is directly below ferrying John, Victor, and a still sleepy Kory.

Robin gives Dick a spare costume from the loft courtesy of his wife and so he fires a grapple to get him halfway up with Robin/Tim and Batgirl/Stephanie hanging back until the others are on their way out.

***

Cain and Hush activate the facility's auto destruct system, which means the the evacuation must pick up pace quickly. Inara races back for Tim and Stephanie except she is starting to get hungry. Jack comes to her aid and helps get the three them further up with some assistance from Kincaid and Theron. Dinah with her twins is taken upward by Kyle's second ring bubble trip though Donna swoops in for an assist lightening the load by taking the kids. Dinah gets the expediency when hearing the destruct alert countdown. The kids once on the surface are taken back to where Barbara is with Cass and Felix leaving only the sighing parents to face whatever might come looking for them after the facility explodes below them.

***

Deimos is taken to the surface by Lazarus who is already carrying Nemesis until Kara offers to carry her. Clark shoulders a worn down Cratos as they begin their escape yet someone has been systematically closing off escape routes. Nemesis attacks Kara again just as Cratos slams Clark... or rather Superman through a wall. Lazarus and Deimos join in the attack.

***

Shayera again is fighting Satis who faces her instead this time in full Thanagarian armor albeit a very dark looking set, quite darker then the standard design. It almost reminds her of her old Justice Lord costume. The two women keep trading blows in rapid succession yet there is a notable difference when Satis' eyes actually start glowing red. The others had done the same yet the question is what is happening to Vulcan or Paladin for that matter.

***

Vulcan breaks free and begins attacking people in a rather violent fashion so he begins to close in on the children now with Barbara. She mentally swears they should have kept the doppelganger elsewhere yet Alfred recalling how Bruce said J'onn has no resistance to fire decides to take a chance on contacting a recent Watcher recruit who can safely turn into a walking flame who goes by the crime fighting alias Fire. She is quick to respond and engages Vulcan thus actually finding he too is weary of fire like his genetic progenitor. Fire's quick response actually proves to be the saving grace for Barbara and the kids. She quickly scoops up Cass and tells the others to follow her and Alfred into the panic room, which Bruce had built to prevent anyone from entering due to multiple countermeasures that prevent phasing through, melting with heat, freeezing with cold, damaging by force, or any other super power rendered damage.

Fire fends off Vulcan and gains assistance from J'onn who materializes along side Zatanna, Etrigan, and Raven.

***

Clark and Kara race towards the exit as the countdown nears completion and attempt to out fly the blast with Cratos, Nemeis, and Lazarus on their tails. Deimos transforms into a cheetah to speed run up the stairs before transfiguring into the fastest bird on Earth, a spine-tailed swift. They barely make it out and all go tumbling with fire damage to their outfits. High velocity punches rumble the surface as they continue to clash until Superman uses his cold breath, a side effect of his powers being restored in an unconventional method making his abilities like the defective clone Bizarro's powers. Cratos attempts to melt his way out until someone sprays with a Kryptonite laced liquid. It weakens him without killing him and similar methods are used to subdue the others among the Cadmus Six who are then put away in the facility that Batman once briefly used to imprison the Justice League except the cell that had been the one to house the other Batman remains empty because of course it felt unnecessary to do this to Paladin. The youth had more than proven himself to Batman, to Bruce long ago.

***

His condition is serious yet not as fatal as Ace's condition. It is disheartening to watch a young pair of lovers so ready to enjoy a life together be laid low by the agendas of Cadmus and the Society given what he found out about the real identity of Henri Ducard, who has used one of Ra's old aliases in order to infiltrate Cadmus posing a highly experienced former INTERPOL agent and administrator. He sits as Paladin's bed side, the beds are kept next to each other, and Diana is on the other side with Ace. It would require invasive surgery to extract the implant aka kill switch because they had to first shut it off then hope the toxins amassing in his system do not kill him first. As for Ace, there is much debate about how to save her if that is even possible at this stage. Her nervous system is badly weakened from making that barricade to protect her and Paladin.

"What can we do for them?" murmurs Diana sadly.

"I don't know, the neurosurgeons think that he has a greater chance of survival then she does," comments Bruce.

There is sadness, remorse, regret in their voices, and both wonder if the two had been kept away from this maybe they would not be in this state now except both had made the decision to help because Paladin had known the layout better then anyone and she would not let him face a battle alone. Like Penelope and Odysseus they went to battle together yet would they made the next journey together, the one to the afterlife if such a place is possible for them. There is a noticeable yet unseen number of beings watching this scene as well as pondering what to do as some think the youthful lovers should pass on and others consider they have more than earned the right to full lives regardless of what happen or their origins. Diana goes to pray to the Goddesses whereas Bruce takes the opportunity to visit his parents' grave if only to wonder if there is a point to mention a genetically engineered 'son' and the youth's lovely lady.

It would be on them to decide what to do as neither of the two are conscious or likely to regain consciousness on their own soon. Both return to the ICU ward where Ace and Paladin are kept going on life support.

As for those recently out of a few days or several hours in a stasis pod, they are resting or eating or some combination of both. Lois and Clark stand outside the ICU ward looking through the window to see perhaps their closest friends almost like parents contemplating the survival or demise of those who are almost like their children or their responsibility. Lois feels a sharp kick and knows she's still eating for two for another few weeks.

Lana is sleeping again after a long time up after the unfreezing and the others who are decidedly tired after making sure the kids are safe turn in to sleep the sleep morning off maybe. Faraday's people shore up security at this Watcher facility while most of the costumes try to get some rest after that nerve fraying and body wearing escapade into the latest abandoned and now destroyed Cadmus 'fun house'.

***

Linda is kept company by Barbara who is nearing the due date for her second child. Cass is busy with the other kids who are making such funny gestures as if regaling some of what happen during their captivity and release by Tim and Stephanie. The two are over there with the kids now.

***

Alfred brings a late supper to Bruce and Diana then demands they eat now. Bruce still recuperating from the gunshot wounds happily obliges with Diana assisting to feed him. They can only hope that the toxins are working their way out of Paladin's blood chemistry yet Ace's condition is far more precarious with the overexertion of her powers to save him from Cain and Hush. As for what happen to either is a mystery and as for Lord is he in custody certain to get a trial for multiple counts of kidnapping, illegal experimentation, and charges for child endangerment. It is some relief aside from this vigil that the Watchers are keeping for the two in intensive care right now.

Bruce knows it'll hurt Paladin to try to go on without her yet the same could be said for her, she would be thrown back into loneliness again without him. However its often been said that love transcends the passing of bodies for the essence of being is what binds some together in unexpected ways yet only time would tell for them. They put Ace into a deep sleep on life support and hope that will expedite her recovery. All they can do now is wait, wait to wake, wait to pass on, and wait for any signs.

***

_"I am here my love," calls Ace._

_"I know you are," answers Paladin._

_"I sense many are near us wondering what to do now as we are both on the brink."_

_"I believe you are right, but for now, let us have this rest before anything else is to be done."_

_They rest side by side in a meadow where there are only birds and trees surrounding them._

_

* * *

_

A/N 1: Rescue and recovery though at what cost? Plus help from Ace's former team the Templars.

A/N 2: The kids fight back... sort of... plus a little help from Aphrodite who makes the Cadmus security guards reluctant to follow Lord's orders.

A/N 3: Etrigan's spell casting is well uncommon for him, its usually something Jason does, but I figure maybe he could learn how to do it in both forms. Perhaps Ace and Paladin are drifting into tragic lovers territory... survive or die... its in limbo... I'm not good at killing characters.

A/N 4: Trying to keep story continuity straight aside from Lois getting pregnant at the end of Just Like You and Shayera giving birth at the beginning of this story. So I would say around six or seven months have passed.

A/N 5: As for how do I explain the ages of Connor, Mia, and Felix... well let's say they were born somewhere during **Just Like You** or between the two stories especially as this is not the same time line as it was during **Just Like You** nor is it the same as the one from the start of this tale.


	25. Sine Qua Non

Cain's alliance with Hush is troubling to Bruce knowing that Thomas is a retrospective photo negative of himself where he had seen his parents' murders first hand, Thomas had been the one to kill his. As for Cain, he had been attempting to salvage the Society in the wake of Ra's Al-Ghul's demise inside the Cadmus controlled Lunar Watchtower. Another question in his mind is what if anything will Cain's daughter have to do or say if she is even privy to this operation, but knowing her, she is likely to know something about it. He makes his vigil trip to Crime Alley, it is that day after all, whether it had been today or over twenty years ago, the memories, the scars, even the pain it put into him does not dissipate much yet with the scarce few who have come into his life over the years, it does not hurt as much anymore especially having Diana in his life made a difference. One does not allow entry nor open that which is contradictory to just anyone. He had almost not become Batman fully when he met and fell in love with Andrea yet the suddenness of her departure, her insistence that he forget her drove him to realize that perhaps he is not cut out to love, but still part of him would form bonds with others and occasionally his resistance to romance would crumble, being a lone watchmen to all of Gotham aside his allies in the police, made it clear he did need help.

His intensity and drive is never in doubt yet his motives and actions often put praise his vigilance or condemn his methods, but he is often the only one who can go where the laws bind the hands and the movements of the police. He recalls the trial his rogues put him through years ago when he had a short lived romantic interlude with District Attorney Janet Van Dorn. Janet seem quite taken with Bruce as he could be affectionate and loving if the chemistry exists, but often as she found he would have different women around because it had been an image to cultivate when he did not want people nosing around in his private life. She also had been one of few women to be privy to the memories of Crime Alley and those mysterious photographs taken after ward that even fewer people had seen ever. They had remain at best friends and she had grown to respect Batman, even find that he had his purpose though they both had agreed to a goal that perhaps there could eventually be a Gotham City that does not need Batman yet somehow it seems unlikely in Bruce's lifetime though that would not stop anyone from trying to achieve that goal. He places the roses on the spot and notes a whoosh in the air, and it is not a consistent familiar whoosh, rather one more common to someone had not seen in years.

"Hello Bruce," says the voice.

"I was wondering when you would show up Cassandra."

"It is nigh impossible to sneak up on you, but it is still fun to try... I know that 'Daddy' has been busy with infiltrating Cadmus among other things."

"This is too public a place to divulge such things."

"It is you, me, and an alleyway... albeit the one where they..."

"Yes... now if you don't mind I prefer to conduct the rest of this elsewhere..."

They leave yet this passage is not unseen.

* * *

Diana returns to find Dick and Donna keeping the latest round of the vigil. Dick is at Ace's side and Donna is holding Paladin's hand despite the fact that neither is fully conscious many still find it important to be here. Alfred had been busy with some measure of meals for everyone even the kids who had such an appetite yet better all around as they feel better being back together after the separation via abduction. She pulls up another chair next Donna's seat.

"It's like looking at what your son might look like if you have one or even a daughter for that matter and plus the idea that he might die too."

"The doctors don't have a high recovery rate expected even if they do operate. Ace is stabilized yet her condition would only worsen if she wakes up before they can work out what if anything they could do to save her. I doubt either of them would welcome the prospect of being bed bound in comas."

"If Paladin is that much like you or especially Bruce.... he would rather die than pass time on in this shape of a physical state."

Dick looks over at them before beginning to say something in a stumbling tone, clearly being at the vigil/death watch of an adolescent girl is emotionally trying for him as a father with a daughter and another child on the way too.

"It is a real kick in the chest because with her its like how would I react if this were Cassandra instead of Ace, it would hurt like hell, but Ace's parents died from overexposure to her powers. She only put up that barrier to save him at the possible cost of her own survival as he had already begun to suffer brain damage when someone set off the fail safe in his neural chemistry. Similar protocols have been found in the other six as J'onn has told us."

Donna sniffles and wipes her eyes before deciding to go find Kyle, she misses him, misses how warm it feels in his arms, and the rush of kissing him. Dick goes looking for Barbara who is being looked over by Dr. Aiko Tan, one of the youngest and most recent adds to the Watchers' medical personnel who had made great strides in nanotech for recovery and regenerative purposes.

Diana settles into a chair that Donna had been sitting in as Shayera enters after covering a yawn, Warren and the other kids had finally fallen asleep, and somehow they were all quite well despite being held prisoner for over three days by Cadmus.

"Iced Mocha Princess?" jests Shayera in a somber tone.

"Thank you, you look like you could drop any minute, he must be quite energetic."

"How are they?"

"They are resting, but as for their minds or their bodies for that matter only time will tell it seems."

"I heard she made the overexertion to protect him... sound like anyone else we know hmm?"

"She had been without others who care about her for a long time let alone find someone to love... you and I both know what we would do when something or someone harms those we love... those closest to our hearts..."

"Yeah... its a bit of less talking, more hitting kind of thing."

"Something like that... hope Bruce gets back soon... he seem to be the most worried of any of us... I think he is more attached to Paladin than he admits."

"He has sons... well not biological sons... but I suppose if I just barely met someone that would say I'm your kid... whether he or she was born the way most kids are born in my experience then yeah... it would be a shock... Bruce lost his parents at a young age as we both know... but to have watch someone younger than you die.. its a heart wrenching turn..."

"I think we should both head to bed... been up too many hours now..."

Two more beds are brought in and both women head for them. John finds them sound asleep and he sighs grateful that they got to sleep, Shayera look like she could sleep a month, but as for Diana well having Bruce get shot up that badly would keep her up plus what's happening to those two who are in sleep induced comas well even he could see why it felt useless to be here with all sorts of gifts yet nothing so far seems able to repair the internal damage wrought by implant and overexertion. This night or the coming days could very well be their last. On many levels, many gathering here in secret are quite upset about what happen yet few see merit in retaliation knowing full well who had been behind the Cadmus Six as well as the state that Ace and Paladin are in now.

John leaves them to rest. He turns to go look in on the sleeping children only to find he is not the only one looking in on them. It is somewhat curious to see Vic of all people, but then many said he would kill anyone who tries to harm the beloved son of his Helena, but John took it to mean he is a potentially overprotective father. However considering who he had unofficially 'married', it did not totally amaze him that the _conspiracy_ _theory_ detective would probably give any child abductor or attacker a one way trip to hospital... or the morgue... well maybe.

Vic Sage is not a violent man by nature or personality, but he did take a great many things seriously enough to warrant using his combat knowledge instead of cracking enemies with verbal sparring not unlike Batman who had long since built a reputation for making people feel fear long before they saw him coming from any direction. Vic walks pass John without a word though he considers Vic might be glaring at him yet it is difficult to tell with his faceless expression and nearly no one had ever seen his face aside from Helena. Vic murmurs only three words on the way out of the room.

_Sine Qua Non_ which if John remembers the translation right means without which not and likely points to what Vic states is part of their purpose now, it is not just the world, but their world sleeping in these tiny beds in front of him now. He lightly steps towards little Warren's bed and smiles just a little then wonders how he might feel in Diana's position if Paladin had more been then just a genetically engineered weapon, that the youth had been born from her yet it takes more then genetics to bond and bind lives together. He had seen that with Bruce, Dick, Tim, Alfred, Barbara, and Diana since their return from the Justice League reality... Diana had become a part of that life too.

He quietly exits then messages the kids' room is secure and they made triple sure of that this time. They had security everywhere in the wake of the ease of those abductions. John catches Oliver keeping an eye on Dinah and Helena, those two women despite their differences had made quite a team at times then of course they catch him watching when he shifts his gaze to notice John.

* * *

"I'd almost think neither side is going to stop watching me, waiting for a slip up," mumbles Helena.

"You worry too much about what they think," remarks Dinah.

"Vic kept me from doing the irrational thing with Mandragora and of course I had to keep him from doing the insane thing after Flagg interrogated us."

"He seem pretty upset that time... you would almost think nothing would have kept him from strangling Flagg until he saw you in pain."

"He means well, just certain things go much further than upsetting him... being a father has made him a little less prone to the behavior he is known for, but becoming a parent changes a lot of people even me... I never thought I have a husband or a kid for that matter... it is all very unconventional and in no way a formal marriage."

"You don't always need the ceremony for it... you can just say be bound through your emotions and through your kids. As for me and Ollie, we get married and somewhere along the way I had our twins."

"Vic did seem ill at ease with Felix at first yet once he started teaching him simple things about the _conspiracy_ he had at least done something my father did to some extent before Mandragora killed him and mother... storytelling... the one thing that fills a child's imagination... no matter how young they are... you don't quite loose it either if there's something to nourish it."

Arm in arm they walk pass Oliver and John to go look in on the kids, sure they did trust everyone in this facility to do their job, but there's always something about mothers no matter what species that compels them to be doubly or even triple aware of what is happening to their children especially when they are as young as these kids. John merely nods with a smile and Oliver watches them walk in the direction of the 'nursery'. Oliver then takes a cup of coffee and offers one to John. They both sip in silence before Oliver considers what to say and John awaits whatever the archer aims to say now.

"I know Vic had a point in ordering me to get the women to extraction point, but I had come for my family above all else plus his son was not among the taken."

"Batman's warning barely got them enough time to side step Felix's abduction as Helena had been in the shower and Vic was in his cubicle of a den with Felix playing with letter blocks."

"Guess I was little rough on him... I mean his son was safe and my kids were down there... Helena got them out instead and then he seem afraid... not of me of though... afraid for her..."

"From what Kara told me off his behavior back in Arizona during the build up to Near 09... it makes sense as Flagg had been torturing all of you though her worst of all... it almost set him off if not for his tendency to refrain from violence and Helena's physical distress... he did give Flagg a beating to remember... however he didn't kill him for harming her... he refused to compromise to beat Cadmus."

"You think I should talk to him?"

"Whatever you do is up to you... I'd only advise to take his suggestions seriously in the field...he knows how to his job his way... he sees things some of us don't consider or notice... so at least be open to alternative routes or methods."

"Yeah... I think I need to sleep this off... maybe you do too."

* * *

Vic is hard at work at his computer shuffling through everything he had gotten out of that facility's computers before they had to pull out due to the activation of the self-destruct system. His suspicions find confirmation that the same fail safe or kill switch is in the six except theirs is an alternate chemical in their neural chemistry and their circulatory system that links them to a singular directive, eliminate the targets designated by the men known to the Six as Director Ducard and Dr. Hollis. Both were phony identities that enough credible history, but dig deep enough and the image starts to crack, begins to fall apart, and reveals what Batman had already found out. A further question in his mind relates to Cain's daughter Cassandra, but of course given her history, she holds no compulsion to adhere to her father, she would likely seek out Batman if she had not already to tell him what she knows about her wayward father's agenda.

The seven were made as a countermeasure to the most high profile costumes including the most obvious, the former Justice Lords and their former partners if they ever had partners like Nightwing. He had made a board with photographs, lines of string between them, his usual arrangement, and so Progeny is just another part of the larger plan though he wonders if there is not one that his belief in a singular conspiracy is faulty, that often individuals act autonomous or manipulate who they can to advance their own ends.

It is a definite possiblity yet there are ties between any number of incidents whereas other have verifiable connections.

"Pulling another all-nighter Vic?"

"You are one to talk Bruce... no sense in hiding Miss Cain..."

"I prefer Cassandra if you don't mind Sage."

"Right.. so what is the apparent plan this time?"

"Daddy's plan is well underway with his operatives within all the major agencies including the perplexing and troublesome Cadmus who had the most likely resources to cultivate his ally Dr. Elliot's psychological experiments after Professor Hamilton's latest round of precision replication or genetic hybrids."

"Plenty of evidence considering the array of powers shown to be open to the hybrids...they learn the errors well between Bizarro, the Ultimen, and of course the psychic link that occasionally forms as a feedback loop of the cloning process... near identical brain waves often overlap... so you'll be aware of what the other is up to especially in your sleep... that's what happen to Supergirl."

"They never intended to terminate Paladin yet once realizing over time he seems too much like you Bruce... they saw the probability of having to terminate him."

"Well somebody set it off."

"Given what little could be found at the scene before the implosion we have no way of knowing who exactly set it off unless we go into their memories and their minds yet they are in such a fragile state as it is... going in their risks killing them prematurely when we might still be able to save them."

"I doubt Cadmus would make such a mistake a kill switch... meaning if they want him dead... he'll be dead."

"Logically you are right... but emotionally I would be liable to hit you fro that... one wonders how Helena puts up with such a calculating and callous tendency in assessing the survival probabilities of someone dying from an imbalance in neurochemistry and as for the girl, she's already been on borrowed time given the frequency of the nose bleeds since leaving the Templars behind... she exceeded her limits too many times and now her body can't take the strain even with her heavily sedated."

The death talk is an ill at ease subject for many yet for Bruce, he only wants to leave this room, to be out there or somewhere accomplishing something to save them, but of course as Thomas would likely say to him, you can't save everyone my son. He heads back to the ICU ward where the two of them sway between life and death. As he nears the room, he finds he is not quite there right now as a hand clasps on his shoulder and he turns to face the visitor. They often say justice is blind yet few have ever met Themis face to face, even for a blind woman, she holds perhaps the highest respect for those like Bruce Wayne who constantly remind her why mortals are never to be underestimated for their resilience is remarkable especially Bruce Wayne for he has lost a great deal in his life so starting with his parents. Few ever know the true face of Bruce Wayne or Batman... there is an identity that merely answers to the name Bruce that is the one that operates all the controls to keep his body moving except when he is with those whom have his trust and his love.

* * *

_"You are troubled about the fates of those two.. they have long since balanced through each other and through helping you to save the lives of those taken captive by your enemies... if they are to pass on soon regardless of them having surgery or not... they will have the solace of Elysium."_

_"Like Wally?"_

_"Yes like him."_

_"It lightens the load, but still so much of a life unlived..."_

_"They have lived more than you know through each other... the essence and meaning of life is not length... its much more... language is imprecise to describe."_

_"I stopped behaving like a child after they were murdered, I turned to training myself first with my mind then with my body as the years progressed, and finally the night had come for me to don the cape and the cowl... then she had come along and now I'm not really sure what motivates me to keep being Batman... its almost as if he needs me more than I need him now."_

_"Your purpose as your paternal figure of a butler often notes is deeper then you grasp at times... the symbolism of Batman will outlast you.. but for the moment... don't deny yourself a life simply because you fear what your eventual 'death' will mean to those closest to you... she did not retain her immortality as a condition of regaining most of her Amazonian abilities... the truth is... we, the Goddesses pulled a double take on that one... partly for her sentence and partly because we had been aware of your romantic interest long ago... Aphrodite is not one to miss that sort of thing... so in essence part of why is she mortal in the sense of time is that she'll die one day too. However she is impervious to injury... she is merely about as physically resilient as you are... she can be hurt, she can die, but like you she is quite stubborn."_

_"Appearances be deceiving..."_

_"Indeed... she sleeps now as does the one called Shayera.. in fact many sleep... too weary to worry out of their minds over things like death. It is part of the cycle, the body dies, but the spirit, the soul endures either by memory and by energy... it is after all a charge led by Persephone that had given Wally the chance to culminate his missed chance to have a romance with Linda... now she carries his child."_

_"Yes... it is just difficult to watch anyone die whether it is a shot from a gun or dying from the inside... do I just let them die because its the thing to do or am I being stubborn just to prolong their existence by machines?"_

_"Only you can decide that... I think I have taken enough of your time for now... if they are to pass then Celesta will come for them... as the goddess that ferries the spirits to Elysium... it is what she does."_

_"Yes... until next encounter Themis."_

_"Indeed..."

* * *

_

Bruce leans against the wall after the haze of meeting with Themis again wears off. He sits down in the chair nearest to Paladin and gives into the exhaustion in his limbs plus his still healing injuries. Batman may have no limits, but as a human being Bruce can only push his body so far.

Diana rouses awhile later and drapes a thin blanket over Bruce, stuck between smiling and tearing she kisses his forehead though hopes that does not wake him. He is in a deep sleep, too many hours up and about plus he had been pretty badly shot up. She goes to join the others who have gotten up since dawn and they are having breakfast. Inara is as usual the one with the biggest appetite. She spots Roy talking to a woman who looks like she took a red eye flight to get here, of course it must be that woman he told Donna about after they all got away from the Cadmus trackers.

* * *

Later on in the morning a formal declaration is made by the government through the media to the nation regarding the recent actions of Cadmus and there is something an uproar at the mention that Cadmus had taken civilian hostages including women and children to provoke the Watchers in an effort to show the costumes for their true selves. Superman made a public response of his own. Everyone at the Insiders' bunker in Metropolis is intently watching before suiting up to turn out in numbers to shore him up. Cameras pivot to note the appearance of several more costumes led by Diana. She stands shoulder to shoulder with Superman, so does Shayera, and every other costume forms a loose lineup and of course somebody asks where Batman is yet that is when he makes his appearance.

Barbara had taken over for him in the ICU vigil along with Tim and Stephanie.

"We turn out by the numbers today because we know we do not have everyone's faith and trust... we never did... we never thought we did... we made mistakes... ones that cannot be forgotten... maybe forgiven... maybe unforgiven... but hitting us where it hurts will not set us off again... it happen before... we cannot promise it will not happen again... however on this occasion we merely went in to recover those who were knowingly taken by Cadmus in an effort to provoke us... whether this is the whole agency or a select circle is unknown to us."

He rubs his temple before resuming his response.

"They made duplicants and hybrids with at least one purpose in mind to capture us... if they thought necessary kill us.. at least one of them did not adhere to their commands... he for his efforts is dying as his girlfriend... who had also been trained to be a living weapon by Cadmus. We don't believe we know what's best for this country or this planet. We believe we should help when we can, but everywhere there is adversity for us and for all of you who support us. We do not wish to endanger you because they think we will harm you again some day. Some consequences automatically come with the territory."

The crowd and anyone who did not change the channel listens with great attention to him.

"Some of us are not from Earth, some of us have past incidents that led to these costumes, some of us think we serve a higher purpose or calling to do this, and as for others well each of them like us is here to what seems right even though we make mistakes and slip ups... consequences are never far from our minds. As for those of you who still believe and keep faith in us... there are not enough words to thank you for your support. This is not for publicity, this is merely a statement, not to sway or decry, just to say thanks in a lengthy yet simple manner."

The costumes start to file out of the area. The news crews and the civilians disperse eventually too.

* * *

There is enough clear out of toxins to permit surgery on Paladin so he goes under the 'knife'. Bruce and Diana take the first 'watch' in the viewing area above the O.R. He is in there for hours and they do manage to extract the implant though all indications so far do not indicate that he'll live for much longer so removing the implant only insures that he won't die as soon as it seem he would die before. As for Ace, there is contemplation again about the power disruptor yet again nobody wants to risk it with her physical and mental condition. As for the moment, she is kept going by deep sedation and life support.

Another experimental procedure calls for deadening the parts of her brain response for telepathic/telekinetic abilities, which carries slightly less risk then using the power disruptor. Bruce goes to her bedside once they are told the possible benefits and the certain risks to try this. He whispers to her the question of should he gamble this knowing it might just as easily kill her on the table if he understood the risks to some degree. He decides against it given that her prognosis looks about as good as Paladin's.

He consults the others before asking that the life support machines be shut down by tomorrow, there is no reason in his mind to prolong them like this if only for the compulsion of others to have them around.

The next morning the machines are off and for a brief while both regain consciousness to say their goodbyes to both the Watchers and their Cadmus 'siblings'. Celesta comes by sunset for them and Diana nestles herself against Bruce at the sight of Celesta for it is the first time she had seen Celesta take anyone let alone two she would treat almost as her own children especially Paladin. They would have to name them or at least ask them what name would they like to have before they pass off the mortal coil.

[+]

"Have you ever thought of a name you would like to be called?" asks Diana

"They only had given me a code name... never a real name," answers Paladin.

"Are you familiar with the Argonauts?" continues Diana.

"A band of heroes led by a man called Jason," replies Paladin.

"I would call you Jason after him."

Paladin smiles weakly at her.

"It feels different to have a name and I think I should like it...I mean I know I was not born like a child is from a mother... but to me you'll always be mother, not just genetically...though I do hope you'll one day know the joys the motherhood..."

"I already do... Jason."

He cries, a new experience for him, but often there are tears for happy things, she hugs him.

Ace watches this unfold with her hand in Bruce's hand.

"I'm glad he got to know his parents before we both die... though perhaps it is better that we can make this journey together.. too often is that one precedes the other though I suppose waiting doesn't seem so trying if you are the one waiting on the other side instead of wondering how long you'll be going on for until you are back."

"No...though the experience differs for everyone regardless of age though my only experiences with death are my parents, seeing Dick having to also watch his parents die..you feel so helpless if you are watching... though for it to actually happen to you is something else."

"I see she's named him... I don't suppose you have something similar in mind for me?"

"Only if you want one... not forcing it on you."

"He seems to think of you as beautiful if the way he looks at you is any indication... so perhaps Rana."

"I'm thinking Astraea... well in keeping with Diana calling him Jason."

"How did you?"

"My mind is not my only means of learning... my hearing is also quite good."

"Well let's make the reintroductions shall we..."

* * *

Several weeks later after the births of Jason, formerly Paladin and Astraea, formerly Ace, physically embrace a final time before simply holding hands while closing their eyes knowing they are about to go as Celesta guides away their spirits yet in the moment they bid a final farewell in thought to Bruce and Diana. Arrangements are made to bury them together in the same coffin so it had to be built for two, since they are not typically done anywhere. The Watchers hold what's been commonly known as an Irish wake in their memory. It is hard not to wear black for the occasion. It takes quite a bit of time to organize yet it is happier than one would expect for an entire crowd of people wearing black. Bruce gives a brief eulogy simply saying that the two shall remain unforgotten. The doctors had more luck in removing the implants from the others and so in time there might be hope for them to lead lives without the programming circumventing their behavior. In the passing of all this, Bruce and Diana had become more intent of having the wedding soon, but leave themselves enough of a reprieve to mourn the passing of the young lovers.

They are laid to rest in a private cemetery under their new names known only to the Watchers, Agent Faraday, and Amanda Waller.

The grave marker is an elaborate monolith with their names on the front, on the left side reads the phrase _Amor est vitae essentia_, on the right side is _Amor caecus est_, and lastly _Amor vincit omnia_.

Three turns of Latin something decidedly Bruce/Batman and as for Diana she had chosen the grove for their wake as well as their burial. It is not meant to be overly formal though with everything more or less looking like they are going to a funeral, it is not easy to look chipper. It is a sunny afternoon, some clouds, a cool breeze, and it is a brief time taken to honor them for their brief lives as well as their sacrifices made to assist the recovery of those taken from their new 'family'. They would not be forgotten, of course this goes without saying, and after a nearby park that been one of Astraea's regular spots when Jason took to tracking her. The mothers in the Watchers bring their kids to play around in this park.

Diana arrives there in a sky blue dress and Bruce now in a sand stone colored suit sneaks up behind her. He slips his arms around her waist and notes she is watching all the kids from here.

"Makes you think about having kids doesn't it?" whispers Bruce.

"Someday, he made feel as safe as you do," murmurs Diana.

He softly kisses her neck. She sighs softly.

"Something about him made me trust," continues Bruce.

"He was our son even if only for a short time," remarks Diana.

She turns her neck so her face is closer to his and he tilts his head so that his face is looking directly at hers. She kisses him and he kisses back.

"You chose rather romantic tones to the Latin phrases on the monolith," notes Diana.

"It seem to fit most of us now though for them it had been more so in some ways," comments Bruce.

"Still it makes me glad to be in love with you..."

"... and all this made me sort of reassess what my motives and purpose is when it comes to Batman."

"What did you discover or decide?"

"Batman still serves a purpose as a symbol though there's still you and others to keep in mind on some level despite how much of my time I give to what the nights demand of me. It is not saying the image of Batman matters that much, but there's always been the prospect that I might die in costume long before we ever met I had seen that possibility. I don't intend for it to happen to me because for once there's too much to live for when I look at you."

She smiles with a bit of grin and sort of tackles him to the ground while kissing him at the same time.

Nearly everyone had seen this, many crack up laughing, the kids don't exactly get it, but who would expect at that age though if they were a little older and known anything about boys and girls not being that close. Dick vividly remembers that phase though it was long gone by the time he spent more time with Barbara or Babs as he continues to more affectionately call her. He keeps a close eye on Cass while noticing his wife with their newborn son James after Barbara's father who since his retirement provides more an counciling advisory role to his former police comrades as well as the members of the expanded Bat-Clan. He joins them today to meet his new grandson after hearing who Barbara names him for, which brings a few tears to his eyes when she asks if he wants to hold little James. It takes him back to when Barbara was little and of course she had been very much a father's daughter when she took interest in his police work though as many had later found out it goes further as he gradually works out that she is moonlighting as Batgirl though now as a mother of two she is going by the advisory role alias of Oracle.

Donna, Kyle, Roy, and Jade manage to get on the swings, which were strengthened to hold adult weight. They just sort of embrace just swinging back and forth as if one could go back to the way it felt like a swing could give you flight though of course in Donna's case she had been able to fly since before her time with the Titans. However she finds riding the swing to be amusing and worth a few giggles as she watches Kyle noticing how much she is having with this.

Connor, Mia, Cass, Felix, and Warren are busy in the sandbox much to Lois' amusement as she notes her own daughter Lara seeming to eye the kids playing in the sand. She was quite the handful at just over two months old yet she would have it no other way after carrying her to term. Lara while not the healthiest child is still one of the most stubborn little girls Lois had ever known especially with her being her first born with Clark and for the moment, one child is enough for now, in time there could be others.

[+++]

"You'd think they would be less open about this, I know they are all affected by these deaths in some way yet to be out in the open like this is vulnerable."

"There are enough of them around plus everyone's carrying teleport beacons so if they had to beam out, they could."

"You sure no one could intercept the beams?"

"The beacons are a combination of Watcher technology and ours."

"You seem quite confident Agent Faraday."

"Wouldn't you be Miss Cain?"

"Call me Cassandra..."

"Only if you call me King..."

"We'll see... just keep tabbing everyone."

"Paranoia isn't healthy at any age."

"Paranoia has kept more people alive than you know."

"Right... well I'll check in again later."

The man likes to charm she could tell that much.

The woman is rough around the edges, he senses that clearly.

[+++]

Many suspect they have not seen the last of Cain or Hush, but only time would tell as usual. However this would not deter them from living in spite of the variables.

A wedding is always a cause for celebration and soon there would be one for the ages.

* * *

A/N 1: Ace/Astraea and Paladin/Jason are among the fallen yet they had given their all for a higher purpose.

A/N 2: Enter James Grayson and Lara Kent - children born after the deaths of Astraea and Jason.

A/N 3: Family oriented chapter after all the action of preceding chapters and soon to come the wedding.


	26. Fever Kiss

Audrey's arrival at the Manor with Vandal does raise a few eyebrows yet clearly Vandal is not the same man that some of them met during World War II and others in the more recent past. The mood is generally more upbeat since the clash with Cadmus and some weeks have passed since the funeral. Diana is on hand to greet her Kasnian friend and Bruce manages a handshake with the somewhat physically imposing Vandal. Both understood the risks they had taken during the events surrounding Near 09 and for that cause alone there is a solid respect between them. Audrey pulls Diana along after asking where the other women are since there's much to do and plan out given the intended date for the marriage. The stops include the dress shop since Audrey needs a fitting for the dress selection that Diana had made for the bridesmaids and Donna also needs some adjustments to hers. Audrey also has some modifications in mind despite liking the overall look for the most part and as for the rest of the day it would be a long string of for all the women who were chosen to participate directly in the wedding.

* * *

As for the men, they are still debating what to do with Bruce since he would likely oppose doing the traditional or typical things done by men before the wedding, but of course in their case, what truly is typical or best to do now. Alfred suggests starting with the tuxedos and so Clark decides to take the paternal butler's advice. They drive over in several of Bruce's more fanciful cars though he had long since sold then bought back or simply made purchases of newer models of his old cars. Clark rides in the Lamborghini Murciélago with Bruce as it is only a two seater. John drives the Lamborghini Reventón with Kyle riding as his co-pilot as an in-joke to the paint job's inspiration, the F-22A Raptor.

Vic defaults to driving his vehicle of choice, his very own Pontiac GTO, and their departure from the Manor is seen by their wives who share a mutual snicker wondering if someone should have told Ollie about Q's driving style.

"Believe this is the first time I have ridden in your car Vic."

"Somehow I think it'll be your last though who knows Oliver."

* * *

King drives Jason and J'onn to the tux shop. J'onn could easily shape shift his body into an approximation of a tux, but of course he is going for the purpose of participating in this bonding ritual plus he had not been a part of such customs since the fall of his civilization. J'onn did informally attend the wedding of Clark and Lois, but he gone in somewhat plainer looking guise yet this time many insist he take part in more of the rituals. He had been reluctant to oblige yet having Jason and King along shores of his mental stamina. King had been a rare yet true to form friend for him outside the 'family' and it had been King's support that made him finally resolve to regain his powers to help avert Near 09. Vandal rides with them as well giving the opportunity to converse with them.

* * *

"You up for a race Grayson?" asks Roy.

"Sure.. so let's go then," answers Dick.

Dick drives a motorcycle as does Roy and the two actually engage in a race to the tux shop much to Jade's amusement as she watches them drive off.

* * *

Tim stays behind with Stephanie to help watch the kids while the women go to do their dress shopping or fitting. Barbara does however take James with her as does Lois take Lara for both are still quite cranky when kept separate from their mothers for too long. Shayera and Dinah so far have the most experience with cranky infants though Helena knows a thing or two herself in raising Felix. Alfred had the Kents over to help though Jonathan mostly handles watching them as his back isn't quite what it used to be and he had been glad for the opportunity to see his granddaughter Lara and Martha found it curious that Lois would choose Clark's Kryptonian mother's name yet it made sense somehow. It is meant to honor the parents that sent off their only son to be found and raised by the Kents who would shape the character of man behind the S. She had known from the start like Jonathan that their son would have trouble fitting in, difficulty to find acceptance, and perhaps the greatest leap would be him finding someone to love him, all of him, even after he did things like what happen during the Justice Lords' 'stewardship'.

Lois had held her ground, her love had been kept in check by her frustrations with the man that had taken both Clark and Superman away from her. It was like living a stranger with a familiar for the longest time she told Martha during one of their lengthy chats. People still talk about the Lords, but of course that is to be expected yet many had thought many of the costumes did deserve a chance to redeem themselves instead of condemning for what happen, people make mistakes, so do heroes, but of course the mistakes of superheroes are taken in a different light yet many perhaps realize they are just as human despite whatever abilities are theirs alone. She had seen Bruce Wayne stand trial in the other Lords' absence and of course when those acolytes of Ra's Al-Ghul had come to end the world, many sought him and his former comrades out to save the planet again. They had done so especially after standing up to an enraged and death wish driven incarnation of her son. The manner in which his powers were restored are found to be the cause of his thinking aside from feeling immense feelings about being unforgivable.

After the weapon had been taken off-line and then taken apart, he went back to Earth and sought at last to find a way through what had kept them apart all this time. Clark for a time took to being a farmer and still come often to help with the farm work as he had done in the years before the Lords took full authority. The isolation of the farm had given the solace and the space to recover as well as rekindle his romance with Lois, which is what led to Lara's conception. It felt funny to be in the presence of so many toddlers and she thought raising one with out of this world abilities was a task, she couldn't imagine how these kids' mothers did yet if they were anything like her or Lois, they would do fine. In their own way they would be as much of a mother as they could be aside from their jobs as the Watchers.

* * *

The tux fitting did not take as long as most of them thought and of course Kyle could just as easily use his ring to make one, which bears similarity to J'onn ability to transfigure his appearance via shape shifting. Bruce for whatever reason or lack thereof decides on a dark shade of blue-black for all the guys, which on one level suits Vic just fine as it is close to his preferred color of choice trench coat as well as his fedora. As for the others they merely go through fitting and adjustments per the perceptions of their saleslady who is kind of giddy recognizing Wayne leading this company of rather ogle worthy men. Alfred gladly agrees to pick up the tuxedos so long as someone goes with him, the man's devotion and loyalty is immeasurable, but the strength of his body is not what it used to be in the past.

There is uncertainty about what to do next until Roy and Dick suggest all manner of races starting with a race back to their vehicles.

"No super powers Kent!"

"No shortcuts Wayne!"

The two appear to hold the lead though Dick is not far behind despite Roy and Kyle jockeying for position.

Vic makes no effort to slow Oliver yet somehow manages to make it back to the Pontiac ahead of him.

"I thought it was agreed we wouldn't do any trickery."

"No tricks, I already made for walking after Grayson and Harper brought up the suggestion to 'race' to the vehicles."

"Right, well there will be other races."

"Let's get going shall we?"

The jet black Murciélago moves out of the parking lot with the Reventón on its tail yet unable to bypass. Bruce still had enough years between the Batmobile, the Tumbler, the Batcycle, and the Batwing to outmatch anyone even if they are driving one of his cars. Dick and Roy mount their bikes to join the unofficial second race to the Gotham City Speedway. As luck or situation would have it, there are no races on the schedule except they would be racing in costume so nobody would know they were aside from the costumed identities. Somehow Vic's Pontiac beats them all to the track and even Oliver cannot work out how this Pontiac GTO could outpace two Lamborghinis.

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me!" fumes Cassandra.

"Well you said you were here to help us against Cain and Hush!" jests Barbara.

"You practically read my mind Cassandra," quips Jade.

Cassandra Cain faces a full body mirror just as Jade Nguyen does yet for highly trained assassins, this is not how either imagine spending this afternoon.

"It is only a dress fitting darlings!" chuckles Audrey.

"Sure... but I don't do dresses!"

"Neither do I!"

"It is a wedding ladies... it is part of the ritual," remarks Dinah.

"I used to think I couldn't do dresses either, but watch how one or several guys ogle you... maybe that will change your minds," comments Shayera.

Cassandra tries to conceal blush yet Jade admits nothing except makes a slight grin.

"Knowing Roy... he'll probably do most of the ogling for Jade," comments Donna.

"You know he did talk about you a lot Donna, but it seems he's all about me now," continues Jade.

"Good for him... because I am with Kyle now."

"All for fun and meaning."

"Something like that."

Donna turns around and returns to sit next to Diana. She waves her hand in front of her older sister then notices her attention stuck on a pirate broadcast that someone is making a race between the groom and the rest of men who went off for tux fitting with him.

"Is that Bruce's Murciélago?"

The jet black car is doing laps around the other vehicles and one needs only that to surmise its driver.

"What are you two..." demands Helena.

A purple Pontiac GTO is holding the second spot rather well despite a forest green Aston Martin trying to get around it as well as a car that is part blue and part black, which looks like a Mercedes with a two-tone paint job. The other cars include a dark red Ford Mustang, a camoflauge colored McLaren, a silver Reventón, and a gray Porsche. They appear two cars short for the number of men that left fogether for the tux shop this morning. Zatanna already knows that races are not Jason's thing and as for J'onn, he merely watches the race with Jason. The other women start coming over to where Diana, Donna, and Helena are just staring at the screen though one wonders why there is a big screen here.

In the redecorating of Wayne Manor, a previously unused wing was converted for Diana's personal use and usually she made good use of this big screen for a movie night so just maybe tonight would be a good kick off for her brand of celebrations. No doubt they might over what movies to watch, well maybe, but for now the Murciélago and the Pontiac are doing a constant switchback. Diana and Helena alternating made such strange gestures and noises uncommon for them, which gets the others cracking up. When the two notice the others' reactions as well as how they were just shouting for their guy to seize the lead back... it made them laugh too. Audrey decides to watch too. Bruce's sleek Murciélago keeps trading the lead with Vic's agile Pontiac. However there is another car coming up from the back of the lineup, which triggers on a big smile on Lois' face. Clark had recently bought a rather angular replacement for the car that had blown up by the late crooked Detective Bowman and it is rather charming medium blue with red streaky decal. He could not it seems get between Bruce and Vic without being a little rough yet he had to be careful given his strength plus any number of the women were liable to be quite upset with him if he had been the cause of an accident in this situaiton or at least Lois thought so as she watches his passive aggressive driving.

* * *

Cain trips a hidden series of spikes in order to cause well a couple of flip overs if that could be done except what he did not count on is a certain Martian.

"You mind explaining what you are doing sir, this raceway is not in use except for the recreational use by Mr. Wayne's guests."

"Merely making sure all is in order, wouldn't want any harm to come to Mr. Wayne or his guests right?"

"Right... well whatever you, I suggest you undo Mr. Cain."

"I'd seriously doubt you could make me."

"He might not... but I can..."

"Wait what are you doing?"

Cain drops and Jason informs J'onn that there are hidden spikes that will pop out should the vehicles exceed or drop below current velocity. J'onn telepathically broadcasts this news to the drivers. Cain uses the frenzy about potential trip wires that he set to enable him to slip away.

"Time to change venues...follow me out," orders Bruce.

The Murciélago leads the way first to the pits then instructs that one by one each car go back to the track then head for the nearest entry/exit tunnel before making a rendezvous at Gotham International Airport for the next challenge who can last the longest on a high attitude drop without blacking out or pulling the chute too early on.

* * *

"What happen?" pip several women at once.

"It seems someone or something led them to leave yet they are heading somewhere... to Gotham Internation Airport if the signs read right."

"What could they be doing now?"

"Have to wait and see it... unless its like skydiving or something involving falling from a plane at high altitudes."

"What the heck could Bruce be thinking?"

"None of us are telepaths besides Bruce's mental capabilities have made him quite resistant to a lot of things."

* * *

All the vehicles park in the underground garage beneath the new Wayne Enterprises' hangar. Everyone suits up in skydiving wear though of course Vic can hardly believe he is actually considering doing this, but there is a lot of things that he has done in the past few years that seem to defy what he thought he would never do aside from not compromising his principles. Everyone straps into seats facing each other, which is how this particular plane is built yet Faraday as Jason and J'onn again opt out of taking part though they make a tedious discovery in the cockpit. Hush is aboard after knocking out the pilots though as they take off J'onn phases Hush out of the craft leaving him behind as the plane flies away. There is an obvious look of frustration on the villain's face yet at that moment a combination of GCPD and Faraday's 'Insiders' come for him.

J'onn makes his way back to the plane as it is now in flight and there is a once over done to be sure that Hush left no surprises behind. There is some tampering with the navigation systems were are scripted to crash once the plane reaches a certain altitude yet with a technological know how, they are able to disable it just in time. Each puts on a helmet with a first person P.O.V. camera that protrudes from the right side so whoever they know must be watching gets a full view of what they are about to do now. Bruce almost predictably in black leads the way again once making a loose salute then slips out the side with his feet firmly kept on the board by secure straps. Clark goes next and then there is a tussle about who is going next yet Dick gains a lead over the others. Roy and Kyle jockey with each other on the way out so they almost snag each other's parachutes packs. John and Oliver just head for the jump out point then let the wind blows where it blows leaving only Vic.

It will be a long way down at 20,000 feet in the air.

"How does it feel Kent?" chirps Bruce.

"I do miss flying though falling is another story... several stories actually," cracks Clark.

"Nice to see you can still be funny," remarks Dick.

"Sure, but that doesn't always count on the way down," retorts Roy.

"We'll see won't we Harper?" continues Bruce.

"We sure will."

It is a new sensation to Vic as he had never felt such a chill against his skin nor had he evern been this high up.

As for Kyle is familiar in having flown his way via flight from the ring and its Lantern battery power source just as John had done.

"I had spoken to the Guardians recently... they are still considering returning you to active duty."

"I am quite content to let you be Earth's Green Lantern Rayner."

"If they return you to active status that might get me sent back to Oa... away from..."

"Yeah... it be rough for you and Donna if they do... as for me I have got a son and other responsiblities now."

"Right well... who knows what will happen..."

"Yeah... not like we have a destiny."

"Things happen to us... good or bad is hindsight..."

"Let's just enjoy the drop okay?"

Of course John did miss the rush of flying with the ring, but he never let old yearnings get in the way enjoying the present with his wife and his increasingly stronger son. The boy could already almost break fingers, not that he would do it on purpose, but of course Oliver did mention that months ago at the park's second dedication. There is also of course that Linda is due to give birth to Wally's kid in a few weeks if he had kept track accurately. He honestly wonders if they would let him come back at least to see the kid born, but then again who knows like Kyle had been saying before. They continue to plunge and sure enough he can hear laughter coming from several directions.

* * *

"It is hard to tell who is leading in this one," comments Diana.

"Probably Bruce, Clark, or maybe Oliver," remarks Donna.

"No, it must be Vic," insists Helena.

"No, it is Ollie," pips Dinah.

"Says the Canary."

"Now you are asking for," jokes Dinah.

"You are on if you want a match."

Helena races downstairs with Dinah, Cassandra, Jade and Shayera leaving only Diana, Donna Audrey, and Lois watching the skydiving match.

* * *

"Man who knew tuxedos could be so heavy," grumbles Tim.

"Could be worse... we could be fighting Bane," jests Stephanie.

"Right... though I would take seeing you in dress over carrying all this."

"You will... but not tonight."

Alfred sits in the town car smiling at the rear view mirror.

"Another a potential romance... maybe..."

After Kara had come around to help with the kids then these two had the opening to go help Alfred.

"That's the last of them... time to go home Alfred."

"Right you are Master Tim."

"Just Tim... relax... no need to be so formal."

"I know... old habits."

"Yep... let's go."

* * *

Cain, Hush, and several others gather at the Iceberg Lounge.

"It seems like it is always written for us to fail or at the least only have the upper hand until our comeuppance cometh."

"Who writes like that anyway?"

"Shakespeare I think."

"No matter what he or I did today nothing to seem interfere with their fun... in fact right now the lot of them are skydiving."

"Pretty bold except for the ones that already the ability of flight and well ambushing the women's party would be even dumber."

"About the smartest thing I have heard any of you say today."

"Catwoman I presume?"

"Used to be... kind of gave it up for now."

"You know the kind of risks you take being in a room with some of us."

"Who said I have come alone?"

Barda in full battle armor emerges from one corner.

Katana emerges hand over her shoulder reaching for her weapons should it become necessary.

Vixen jumps down from on high and shows the lethal quality of her gloves.

Raven emerges from one of the walls and the glow of Starfire's energy bolt gets further attention.

"Party crashers gents... you know what do Deathstroke!"

"Yes it has been a long time ladies... I trust you remember me."

"Hard to forget someone like you Slade."

"Curious you go by the name Rachel now."

"One finds ways to hide in plain sight if necessary."

Cain attempts to slip away only to be caught and hung upside by Selina. Hush is not a match for Barda nor is Deathstroke willing to stick around once it becomes clear that this meeting had been a mistake. However as it turns out he made an old trick work anew by operating a robotic duplicate in close proximity to himself then fled the area once its true nature is shown. The gathering is taken into custody by the GCPD and for a second some are wondering how Hush got away until the man they think is Hush shape shifts back into M'gann M'orzz, another former Titan like Rachel and Kory. The real Hush to Cain's surprise is already in the 'wagon' when he and the others are led inside it.

"You did not see through someone duping you by pretending to be me?"

"She seem rather convincing, but like you she also seem able to be disturbingly quiet too."

"Figures... I swear I'm never making an alliance with you again."

"Suits me fine... the Society doesn't need your kind of thinking anyway."

A couple minutes later they were brawling and of course the riot cops had to separate them though they are taken to Maximum Security Lock-up at Blackgate though of course Cain would be out within the week given his resources and as for the rest, they would be cooling their heels awhile. However he knows the lot of the Watchers will be on the lookout for him so his next plan would have to wait awhile or he could resume his search for Talia yet once she had gone to the Republic of Kasnia, he lost track of her, no doubt in his mind thanks to Vandal Savage, and it seem curious as the man once held such political and imperial ambitions. He begins to grasp as well why Ra's Al-Ghul had lost his last gamble to the Dark Knight as the Dark Knight had more associates then he could have guessed fully yet also those who were loyal to Batman had their own associations or partnerships to draw on thus making such a network a rival to the Society of Assassins.

* * *

"Guess you all heard about this wedding set for the end of this month?" asks Selina.

"We have gotten invites... well most of us anyway."

"Have you?"

"Took some persuading, but I'm going... just a matter of who to go with then."

"You don't always have to a date."

"So who are you going with Starfire?"

"I'm going with Victor as friends.... who are you going with Rachel?"

"Garfield has been asking... I don't think I would want to go... but I know he does."

"So you'll go to please him?"

"Maybe..."

"Scott's been wanting to come back to Earth for awhile plus we got the invite from Superman."

"What about you Mari?"

"John Irons has been asking me."

"The inventor who wears that armor?"

"Yes Steel..."

"Not bad looking either," comments Selina.

"So who are you going with Selina?"

"My secret..."

Selina slips away before anyone can think to grab her though she is just agile as any of them except for maybe Barda though Barda would rather not bother with such a waste of energy in her mind so she triggers a boom tube so that she can return to New Genesis to see Scott. Rachel/Raven fades away in a swirl of dark mist and Kory/Starfire takes flight to go see Victor who is spending the day with Gar as the two try to decide whether or not to bother with suits. As for Mari she goes back to her apartment, which leaves M'gann to shape shift into the approximation of a human female guise, the guise known to some as Megan Morse. She would go back to what she usually does between the voids of inactivity, which is not much at all though she knows she probably would not get an invite unless J'onn apparently decides she should be allowed despite the years of pretending to be one of his kind when he had clearly been under the belief that they were all dead except him.

* * *

The first to pull the cord is John Stewart simply because he is getting tired and somewhat bored with the plunge so once closer to a more manageable altitude he pulls the second cord. He makes it to the ground despite a slight tumble on attempting to plant his feet. The next is Oliver who shows signs of dizziness and so he makes a rougher landing than John. Dick and Roy keep at it yet both are growing weary despite being intent to be the one still in the air as the other folds by pulling the cord. Dick realizing how silly he's been acting in the past few hours decides to pull the cords then land rather smoothly in contrast to the preceding landings. Roy noting Dick's landing decides he'll land too, which leaves only Kyle, Vic, Clark, and Bruce. Clark bows out next as does Kyle knowing if all the others decide to make for landing ahead of Bruce, he should just accept whatever spot he gets now. Bruce and Vic stare at each other as they continue to drop below the 5.000 mark, which gives both less air space to decelerate in as the ground is getting closer by the second.

* * *

"Its down to Bruce and Vic... and Helena is still holding melee matches in the Batcave... Huntress...darling... your man is going head to head with Bruce."

Helena hearing Audrey's shouts races up the stairwell, through the opening to the stairwell behind the grandfather clock, and then to Diana's wing of the manor where the para drop enters overtime.

"Either Q has something in mind or he is just trying to bug out Bats."

"Maybe, but I don't think Vic could keep matching wits with Bruce."

"Sure... you wanna bet on that?"

"Friendly wager... winner chooses next event for the women.... loser pays for our next event."

"You are on..."

* * *

"You realize they probably realize we are going head to head by now Vic."

"No doubts there Wayne... only question is if any especially Helena is taking bets."

"Probably... though I don't think she would be the one to start them."

"So how are we going to settle this in a convincing way for them."

"Who said we were..."

The ground is getting increasingly closer by the second and so the others watch from below as well as from the screen back in the Manor. Both pull the first cord at the same time and so their drops slow yet Bruce starts to tumble slightly as if actually slipping from the descent path yet Vic continues without a hitch. After a couple hundred feet Bruce's reorients his descent as they enter the range for pulling the second cord yet the question chuckles Bruce remains who pulls first. The red line for the pull nears with each passing second yet when the moment comes both pull almost the exact same time. Some call Vic as the victor and as others call Bruce the winner though the latter gladly concedes to the former. Only Helena had been so certain to bet against Bruce and the one who bet the most against Vic is Audrey, which surprises the former Queen of Kasnia though she still retains enough wealth to cover the expenses. As for the next event, it would require some place that is pricey yet classy because it is where women and men alike are going to have to sing depending on whose name gets pulled out Zatanna's hat.

Zatanna got a few laughs out of that one because she rarely wore her hat when out of costume though she could make an exception as a party request.

* * *

Each woman more or less eagerly awaits the pick-up from their man though none more then perhaps Diana who takes a thrill out being the first and decidedly in Bruce's mind the only woman to ride in the Murciélago. He had to refrain from looking at her when driving though of course this is hard with her choice of dress. A strapless red dress that goes down to just above her knees and she again chooses to wear sheer hosiery to hug with the all the curves of her lower body. It left such a goofy grin on his face when she first climbs into the car. As for Helena she gets into the Pontiac wearing a dark purple dress to sort of halfway compliment Vic's plum colored suit whereas Dinah dons a blue black dress with fishnets, which she knows will get Ollie's eyes watching closely. In the case of Shayera she is in a beige dress and rides in the Reventón with John.

Jade goes with Roy in the Mustang and her dress is a somewhat darker shade of lime green. As for Donna, she is wearing a light brown dress that when Kyle looks low enough seem to almost have shorts at the bottom and as she explains its a bit of a fashion in Europe nowadays. He admits he enjoys the difference as it appears very unlike the other women's looks. They choose to fly together the restaurant.

Diana and Donna telepathically share a giggle wondering how Bruce will react to the restaurant of choice being the Iceberg Lounge.

Jason is teleporting with Zatanna. J'onn is staying at the Manor to keep an eye on the kids plus he had not the opportunity to spend this long a time with the Kents since that one winter several years ago.

As for King, he takes the rare opportunity to go out on the town with a woman aside from the fact that woman is Cassandra Cain does not bother him much. Further as he notices much to his own surprise she looks quite lovely in a dress and instead of looking somewhat flattered by his stares, she looks like she is fuming just a bit.

"We are here to keep on an eye on them, not for us to dance or whatever else maybe going on in their mind of yours."

"Who said anything about dancing, I just like the way you look in a dress."

"This is all Barbara's doing."

"Well Barbara knows enough about how to hook the eyes of a man."

"Right... let's just get this is over with and by over i mean this crowd minding session."

Cobblepot had the luck or the smarts to be out of town a few hours ago when a few villains made a swing for a meeting here yet Selina with the help of a few others put a stopper to their meet. He had been grateful to her on that front and chose to let her come whenever she likes... she just so happens chose to come tonight.

* * *

"Hello Bruce," says Selina.

"Hello Selina," replies Bruce.

"What brings you here tonight?" asks Diana.

"Oswald has given me a free night or a few because of a meeting I broke up here while he was out of town."

"Smart for him to not be around for that in theory."

"I think he wants to go legit."

"We'll see won't we?"

"You gonna stay suspicious about all of your rogues forever... at least the ones that can still use their brains."

"I'd do anything to help them recover, but neural regeneration therapy is still too experimental to risk on them yet."

"If you get it wrong, you would be killing them, yet some things are almost preferable to what they have been these past few years."

"I'd appreciate not having this conversation tonight."

"Right silly me...well I best be getting out here lest my mouth get the better of me again... though for a signature leave."

Selina kisses Bruce on the lips too quick for him to pull away. Diana pulls the former cat burglar back and glares at her as suggesting leave or you'll be leaving another way, one that involves a hospital stay maybe.

* * *

"The first act for tonight will be Miss Callista Turan... singing Fever."

As Diana or rather Callista settles into place on stage, all eyes watch the performance, but only his eyes gaze upon her alone.

She wraps her fingers around the microphone and starts to sway just a little before she starts though most of her words are aiming at him when she sings of course.

_Never know how much I love you _

First time he said her name...

_Never know how much I care_

The cheek kiss...

_When you put your arms around me_

The first Paris dance...

_I get a fever that's so hard to bear_

The first red dress...

_You give me fever - when you kiss me_

The restaurant kiss...

_Fever when you hold me tight_

_Fever - in the the morning, fever all through the night._

At a gaze, a touch, or a kiss so starts anew...

_Sun lights up the daytime, moon lights up the night_

She knows they are more the contrast than anything else...

_I light up when you call my name, and you know I'm gonna treat you right_

He takes her hand to lead her away from the crowd...

_You give me fever - when you kiss me, fever when you hold me tight_

The way she feels so at ease and warm in his arms...

_Fever - in the the morning, fever all through the night._

Clark and Dick notice how Bruce's gaze seems stuck on Diana though of course could one expect anything less from a man in love.

_Everybody's got the fever, that is something you all know_

The fact he sat waiting in her room for her in Paris...

_Fever isn't such a new thing, fever started long ago._

The fact he let her fight off Audrey's would be abductors alone...

_Romeo loved Juliet, Juliet she felt the same_

They both seem to share an affinity for Shakespeare after he lent her his copies of the plays...

_When he put his arms around her, he said "Julie baby you're my flame"_

She would be questioning of the females' behavior or decisions...

_Thou givest fever, when we kisseth, fever with thy flaming youth_

However she always found the romances to be her liking...

_Fever - I'm afire, fever yea I burn forsooth._

He did too though not as much as she...

_Captain Smith and Pocahontas  
_

_Had a very mad affair_

_When her daddy tried to kill him_

_She said 'Daddy, o, don't you dare_

_He gives me fever with his kisses_

_Fever when he holds me tight_

_Fever, I'm his misses,_

Diana makes a brief wink that Bruce undoubtedly spots from where he sits ever watchful.

_Oh daddy, won't you treat him right_

_Now you've listened to my story_

_Here's the point that I have made_

_Chicks were born to give you fever_

_Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade_

_They give you fever when you kiss them_

_Fever if you live and learn_

_Fever till you sizzle_

_What a lovely way to burn_

_What a lovely way to burn_

_What a lovely way to burn _

She returns to her seat next to his and plants one really long one on him for being such an enamored audience though she did not expect any less.

* * *

"The next act is... Kane Black..."

Several eye brows raise and many women smile at the thought of this "Mr. Black" taking up the microphone.

He casts such a mood over the audience especially those who have never heard him sing before.

_I've seen you hanging round_

_This darkness where I'm bound_

_And this black hole I've dug for me_

Diana recalls again the time she spent trying to reconcile the contrast between Bruce Wayne and Batman as well as why she felt so drawn to both. The newspaper archives were one just a piece of the puzzle and only once did she attempt to follow Bruce on the anniversary of his parents' death. She had no way to connect to the experience yet it made her cry from time to time when she heard or read other stories in the news so similar except few of them ever became something or someone like Batman. Her search for the man in Batman did yield results understandable to her in the beginning yet as time went on she let him 'answer' her 'questions'. He had come to know her powers, not the innate ones, but rather the ones given to her by the Gods and by the armor. He however never stop putting himself on the line because it is what he had always done even though he knows she is capable of handling more than he used to allow her.

He never gives up because without purpose and now passion is life would lose meaning.

She presses onward because her atonement continues yet he puts the fire back into her.

_And silently within_

_With hands touching skin_

_The shock breaks my disease_

_And I can breathe_

Her pleasant reverie takes a different turn at the next lines as his words make her remember all the things they went through together such as what happen with the dream stalker Doctor Destiny. It was a nightmare she was glad to have mostly forgotten, but vivid imagery still creeps on her from time to time like fighting an endless army of undead only to discover they were her Amazon sisters and not the underlings of Hades. Somehow Batman got to Destiny in the waking world and fought him, which had given her the advantage back on that occasion. It was his intervention that shown her that the whole thing was only a dream albeit a bad dream and after she finally woke in the dimly lit Watchtower infirmary the first thing she saw was him sleeping in the chair next to her bed. She remembers covering him up and kissing him on the cheek like she had done at Gorilla City except instead of an almost embarrassing flush, he almost smiles in his sleep yet she could only wonder at the time what his nightmares were about except that too had an answer for her down the line.

_All you dream_

_Falls on me it, falls on me_

_And your beautiful sky_

_The light you bring_

_Falls on me it, falls on me_

After their first jaunt in Paris, Diana was intent on preventing Audrey from marrying Vandal as she and Batman had similar suspicions about the true identity of the man calling himself Vandal Savage III, who in reality turned out to the same Vandal Savage who with help from his future self altered the outcome of World War II. She and the others the previous year had gone back to undo what a younger Vandal Savage had done to restore the present. Briefly before the trip to restore the past she had time alone with the alternate Batman and found this Batman a far sadder man then the Batman she had known since coming to Man's World. He had told them all with such grim detail about what the Regime did to his parents and to Alfred as the old butler had only tried to save the boy's life from Colonel Josef Chill.

This Batman years later closer to the time of this alternate present had finally caught up with his parents' assassin, but of course Chill by then had been stuck a colonel forever despite having carried out countless assassinations with the help of his comrade Major Anton Zucco. Chill and Zucco had cornered a pair of teenagers. Richard Grayson and Barbara Gordon were the pair. He took on Chill and Zucco at the same time. Neither man would survive the encounter. This Batman had taken first blood to save their lives as he put it and they were grateful for his help. In time they and others like had become the Resistance under him. The rest she could tell by looking out at all the adolescents, teenagers, and kids who look up to him like a father and teacher. She only thought at the time there are things that not even time travel can change about him.

_Your faith like the pain_

_Draws me in again_

_She washes all my wounds for me_

_The darkness in my veins_

_I never could explain_

_And I wonder if you ever see_

_Will you still believe?_

She wonders if their counterparts have ever become this close, would they or had they become more than lovers too yet at the moment her thoughts dispel as she leans her chin into her hands as she sighs, he really can sing well, which she notices has quite a few women stuck on his voice, but she knows the song is meant for her. He exhales then returns to his seat to sip a lot of water yet before he can, she plants more than a few kisses on him, and encourages him to return them.

"So how much longer til the wedding?"

"Sooner then you think."

"We best get moving then."

"Right... well... I think we should retire for the night."

"Celebrating a little early are we?"

"Maybe..."

* * *

It is not a quiet night at the Manor to say the least as some are partying to the early hours and others are just hiding out in bedrooms doing things you would expect couples to be doing mostly.

* * *

There is a trail of clothes leading towards the bathroom that connects the separate bedrooms kept by Bruce and Diana. As something a flirtatious joke, whose bed tonight is usually in the air though only between them. He is slow to remove her dress as they are often too caught in other things yet eventually she gets him into the bath with her. They had made something of a ritual out of doing this from time to time yet of course he made they had enough to compensate for hunger later in terms of food anyway. Her hair glistens so brightly when wet and it some times leaves him staring at it instead of her eyes though of course his eyes had been quite mindful of her legs after taking off her dress. She apparenly enjoys wearing things she often sees other women wear in movies based on novels she kept reading since getting around to the Manor's library. Bruce did maintain a sizable book collection and she occasionally catches him in there reading so they some times end up taking about their current reading selections.

Most of her interest in things that women wear to ensnare men's attention made her experiment with different looks and often finds Bruce's attention is quite taken with certain looks though of course even in less clothes, Bruce is certain to never really lose his fascination with his Princess, his Diana, and she did not mind that at all.

Once in bed she does that an inviting gesture with her index finger and sure enough he gets the hint to get in bed. She lightly scratches him when he gets rough and so he decides to me a little more rought. She turns a little more aggressive herself by pinning him and her hips can't take the way he can loosen her focus with his fingers.

She gently bites his lower lip to encourage him some more and so he plays along to the point that she is showing some flush in her cheeks.

"What else ya got?"

"Chocolate dipped strawberries?"

"Oh, you..."

"Seems I got some on your skin..."

"A little messy aren't you..."

"Not that you mind..."

"Nope, but here's some messy for you..."

"Shouldn't use up all your tricks before the honeymoon..."

"We haven't even officially married yet and you are talking about a honeymoon..."

"Just a saying..."

"... well here's one for you..."

He is too caught up in her kisses to manage a response.

* * *

A/N 1: The wedding draws near, but of course how to celebrate beforehand is not what one would expect unless it is the ensemble led separately by Bruce and Diana.

A/N 2: Comedy in parts like the dresses or the races. Villain attempts to sour the parties fail.

A/N 3: Birds of Prey and Titans type cameo late in the chapter.

A/N 4: I originally had something written as a mention to Aresia, instead I switched her out for a mention of a Justice Lords run-in with Doctor Destiny, specifically what Diana's nightmare could be if she were affected by Destiny's nightmare snare.


	27. Closer To Now

"I have heard of cold feet, but this is a little silly Diana," exclaims Lois.

"Were you this nervous getting married to Clark?" murmurs Diana.

"It is your day today big sister," pips Donna.

"If Bruce has not ogled you before… he will now," reassures Shayera.

"He'd have to be a fool not to," continues Dinah.

"Otherwise we would have to knock some sense into him," jokes Helena.

"Hera, please tell me you're kidding Helena," retorts Diana.

"Easy, easy, let's just get ready now," insists Barbara.

Dresses are all ready to go while the hired hairdressers and other salon staff prepare them for the main event. A wedding that nobody ever thought they would see, the wedding that takes Bruce Wayne aka Kane Black off the bachelor list. Almost nothing ever made Diana this nervous unless one counts Bruce's proposal to her because she rarely saw such things happen outside the movies. His decision on tux mirrors in a modernized way the look typical of one of her favorite films, _**Pride and Prejudice**_. Bruce definitely had pride and maybe some prejudice yet even she had quantities of either though both of them put theirs aside to see that their feelings for each other count for more above else.

* * *

"Putting on a little weight Kent?" jokes Bruce.

"Speak for your self Wayne," cracks Clark.

"The farm keeps you in shape or is it Lois?" continues Bruce.

"I'm sure the Batcave gets lonely without Diana," remarks Clark.

"You two gonna keep trading jabs or get into your suits… not the costumes mind you," snickers John.

"Good one Stewart," laughs Kyle.

"Not that funny, but definitely amusing," comments Roy.

* * *

Bruce is the last to get into the suits that men were told would be the male side of the wedding. The ceremony is being held on the promontory. He does however elect to make a trip to his parents' grave before going to his place at the promontory. He also discovers he is not the only paying a visit here today and the other is someone he did not expect to see again if ever.

It is Andrea Beaumont, the last he saw of her had been years ago when she had come looking to kill the men that took her father from her after he spent years embezzling to a degree from the same men.

She killed both Charles 'Chuckie' Sol and Burt 'Buzz' Bronski yet someone beat her to the punch line with Salvatore 'Sal' Valestra, that being Joker. She almost killed Joker, but something got to her from his words perhaps since he caught up again with Joker more than a few times after that encounter. Joker and the other Rogues however got their dues when Superman had given each a lobotomy yet for many nowadays what happen to them is history, not ancient history, but past history at the least.

"Sorry I haven't been back in a long while Mom," murmurs Andrea.

"The dead are demanding and forgiving at the same time," comments Bruce.

"Bruce… jeez… you can spook a girl still… what is with the suit?"

"I'm getting married…"

"She must be as stubborn as you… if things had been different I'd imagine I would be Mrs. Bruce Wayne."

"It was not in the cards for us…something always got in the way."

"Maybe… well hopefully she never disappoints you… I know I have."

"I only wish that perhaps someday you can enjoy life too."

"Someday maybe I will."

"You want to come to the wedding?"

"It could be awkward since we were engaged once years ago."

"If that's what you want… well it is going to start soon so I better get back quick."

"Always so punctual… maybe I will come… let's get going after we have to get you there on time!"

"Don't go all My Fair Lady on me…"

"… By Jeeves I think he has got it."

They depart unaware that their passage is seen by those watching the Watchers because Cadmus is no longer part of the equation again or at least they are not actively engaging as Society infiltration has again made fools of them. However these observers will not make it back to the handlers as someone else still holds a hand to play and she is not willing to let anyone get in the way of a certain happy day. It would take more than anyone could suspect to unravel the latest scheme by Cain's leadership of the Society. However she would have to chance warning his daughter about what her father is up to as it would seem that unbelievable gambles were not exclusive to Cain's predecessor.

Ra's Al-Ghul's case, the Lazarus Pits, would restore him from the brink of death, but each use throughout the centuries eventually reveals the Pits to be only a stopper on death, not true immortality because its regenerative effects had come with a price. It had given him centuries that were in retrospect to some a great waste as many of his offspring were continuous disappointments, but how could someone so young in both mind and spirit stand shoulder to shoulder with Ra's Al-Ghul. However Talia Al-Ghul or rather Anastasia Rivers is still at large despite presumptions about her demise in the wake of Near 09. Talia had left her toddler son in the care of handpicked attendants who were holdovers from when Audrey was still Queen of Kasnia.

Talia found unexpected wonders in trusting people who were proven honorable associations to either her former Beloved or her former Beloved's future wife. The Amazonian had won the honor of being his wife, but of course, she had seen them together often to know that she had her chance in the past yet too often she realizes she inclined towards staving off total setback for her late father.

She would no longer make such mistakes, but of course being a mother to Darius is in itself a fully demanding task. She is left to consider what legacy she leaves for him to inherit without the Society at her command any longer.

Cain, A'Daire, and others were splintering it with this pursuit of the man they hold responsible for Ra's Al-Ghul's final defeat, his irreversible demise, but she swore this is above all else nothing would interfere in Bruce's pursuit of happiness with Diana. She calls out in Kasnian to the operatives given to her by Vandal, and she learns that their infiltration to certain elements participating in the expected wedding is complete. However they also find that Cain's infiltration is already at hand, which means she will have to hasten her own move to save the wedding for those who had earn the happiness of such an occasion.

* * *

"You know you can't be late for your own wedding Bruce," cracks Dick.

"I know, just had to make a stop to see them before this," answers Bruce.

"I understand, I felt the same compulsion before my proposal and marriage to Babs."

"I also ran into an old 'friend' there."

"Andrea…"

"She's been off the grid awhile now…"

"She had been around to visit her mother's grave… I told her she could come."

"Sure that is wise?"

"I thought a wedding or at least a party might make a nice contrast from visiting a cemetery."

"Andrea… Selina… who next Veronica? Kathy?"

"Stuff it will you…"

"Easy, easy, I was only jesting."

"So who is the flower girl today?"

"Actually it is Cass and Mia… instead of just Cass."

Dick shows an irrepressible amount of pride at watching her sort of plop along and tosses petals almost randomly. He also looks to Babs who is holding little James John or J.J. and notes her father is here for the occasion too. Mia tries to keep up with Cass though it is kind of futile as Mia had only begun walking not too long ago. There is no rush; there is nothing in the air that seems to squawk danger, at least not for now. Connor and Warren carry plush pillows with the rings on them, which exerts a couple of giggles from their mothers who are not far behind as the bridesmaid and groomsmen lineup is starting to parade down the aisle.

First are Dinah and Oliver who are exuding much pride for their twins, but of course they were among the first Watchers to have kids. Right behind them is John and Shayera who had their first born not long after Near 09. Clark had overly apologetic for a long considering that he gone up against her twice during her pregnancy with Warren. After them is Vic and Helena who had a son during their absence from the crime fighting scene. Felix is sitting with Renee Montoya who took the weekend off while leaving the 'shop' to Deputy Commissioner Ellen Yin.

Next in line are Audrey and Vandal though of course Vandal's appearance is taken with mixed reactions. Many realize Vandal's reputation during the waning years of the Kasnian Monarchy as well as the rumors surrounding the idea that he is far older than he appears, but others still subscribe to his role in meditating the transition of Kasnia from crumbling monarchy to fledging democracy.

Roy and Jade are next though Jade is quite the fidget given that she is very unaccustomed to wearing dresses as she typically prefers form fitting attire typical of her profession as an assassin of sorts. As for the couple directly behind them and much to Bruce's surprise is Cassandra Cain arm in arm with King Faraday. Dick tries to refrain from snickering at the sight as this is something nobody would have expected though it could just as easily be a show or cover as they were part of the official security detail.

J'onn merely walks side by side with M'gann who had been welcome to attend despite J'onn's reservations given her past deception about her true identity as a member of the Invaders, the same Invaders who nearly took over Earth several years prior before the Founders team up. Jason and Zatanna pass down the aisle after them leaving only a few others including Tim, Stephanie, Rachel, Garfield, Kory, and Victor to take their seats.

The rest of the guests had already taken their seats before, but still the preference is the crow size stay as small as possible. Of course those who still retain faith in the Wayne Family and in Bruce Wayne in particular also gain some privilege to attend, but even their number is kept as small as possible.

Donna and Kyle are next though Kyle steps to the side next to Dick once reaching the end of the walkway to the platform setup on the promontory. Donna is the Maid of Honor, but Kyle is of course not the Best Man. Dick is the Best Man, he took some pride in it, but then he had also been like a son to Bruce since Dick had lived at Wayne Manor up until attending Gotham State. After that he went off on his own, bird leaving the nest so to speak, no ties to his earlier costumed identity and upon return he had most of Bruce's inner circle had known, had become Nightwing.

After Donna and Kyle comes Clark and Lois, Clark's parents were already sitting as Martha is holding onto to Lara until Lois takes her seat next to Martha. In public Clark still wears the glasses, but generally in the company of his family and extended family in the Watchers, there's no need to cover up the fact that he has no eye sight problems. Lois jokes to him that he feels warmer than usual today, but of course he can be warmer than anything on the coldest days in winter, a proven fact to her during her pregnancy with Lara.

In a curious turn, a company of Amazons led by Queen Hippolyta also attend as members of Diana's or rather Callista's family. There remains some effort to downplay the exact identity of Bruce Wayne's or Kane Black's soon to be wife. As a result Hippolyta on this occasion yet answers to the name Elizabeth Turan for the sake of adhering to her daughter's alias. The other Amazons are here partly as protection for the queen and partly because they are watchful of how Diana's chosen mortal handle this occasion. This practice had been undertaken since the earliest parting of Amazons from the tribal society in Ancient Greece.

* * *

_Hippolyta had almost done so herself except for the good of the tribe she had not yet her sister and predecessor Queen Penthesilea had become romantically involved with Greek hero Achilles in the midst of the Trojan War. Achilles did not survive as Paris shot him in his weak spot, which infamously becomes Achilles' heel. Achilles had slain Hector for his mistake is killing Patrocles who had been masquerading as his older cousin Achilles at the time. The war quickly had become more personal for the hero who would have gladly killed its architect Agamemnon, but that right would fall to the architect's Queen, the unfaithful Clytemnestra who with her lover murdered the returning king._

_The prophetess Cassandra from Troy had foreseen this yet she had also sadly foreseen how Penthesilea would survive despite her inability to save Achilles from Paris. She would not kill his slayer out of anger, but she did leave the wayward prince with something to remember her by well enough. She could not remain among the Trojans and so departs alone. Diana had been told her this story as the tale is known both to Themyscira and Bana-Mighdall as her departure then eventual mortal death led to the Schism of the Tribes. Penthesilea would in her arduous solo journey arrive in what becomes Carthage and there she would remain as she gives birth to the unknown offspring of Achilles._

_She names her daughter named Elissa, which in Phoenician means Wanderer, and is true as Penthesilea had been one for many years after Achilles' battlefield death. The daughter would go onto become the first Queen of Carthage. Tragedy would however strike again with the arrival of Aeneas and his company on their long voyage to the eventual foundation of Rome. Elissa or Dido as she is known by in Carthagian falls in love with this rugged Aeneas and for a time they were happy yet the hero had a paradoxical destiny for if he left he would go to found the nation destine to destroy her beloved Carthage. She did what she could to compel to stay yet in the end he departs at the will of Zeus or Jupiter as the future Romans will call him._

_He had made love to her, which she mistakes for marriage. His departure angers her, in grief she slays herself yet before all this she foretells that Carthage and Aeneas' descendants will not know peace, only conflict, only war, so the cycle starts anew. At her death, her people mourn yet they prepare at the consideration that Aeneas' treachery is only proof that his descendants will potentially prove just as insidious. _

_The Punic Wars centuries later only lead to Carthage's destruction despite the pyrrhic triumphs of Hannibal, their greatest general after Hamilcar Barca, his father. The First Punic War favors the Carthagians yet the Second only undermines everything Hamilcar had done. Hannibal lives up the legend yet in the end the Romans pull an attack directly on Carthage in Hannibal's absence while continuing his campaign against Rome. His absence made an opening that the Romans exploited well and of course he returns home. He is beaten yet the Romans retain his services until he becomes unpopular with both Rome and Carthage._

_He departs in secret to the Seleucid Empire and acts as military advisor to Antiochus III in his war against Rome yet the Seleucid lose to Rome. Hannibal will face a betrayal from the Romans just as his ancestor Elissa/Dido did from Aeneas. The Amazons had seen how Man's World went on without them active in the forefront yet Penthesilea was not the last Amazon to fall in love with a mortal man. Others include Penelope, the wife of Odysseus; at least he had proven a worthy husband to her all the way through his life despite his participation in the Trojan War._

_It is understood he did out of patriotism and to protect Ithaca from Agamemnon's wrath. The Amazons saw this as a noble goal even though it left Penelope to fend for herself. However she still had Amazonian training and her husband military cleverness to fall back on during his wartime absence plus she had their son to consider at the time. She made a point of stringing the suitors along even though she could easily kill them with her bare hands, but this is not the Amazon way nor it is the way to rule as she and Odysseus both agreed long ago. At his return, husband and wife together fought the suitors together, the suitors were slain, and together they held a benevolent reign of Ithaca until it is time for Telemachus to rule as the next king._

_Amazons as part of their education are taught the history of the Amazons that left the island. The historian Mala takes this particular passing of knowledge quite seriously. As she often says history is more than just words on scrolls, history is very much alive whether it happen centuries ago or right now with her recitations of Amazonian history in where ties with Man's World.

* * *

_

The other Amazons in attendance of this wedding include Hippolyta's handmaidens/bodyguards include Pallas, Philippus, Venelia, and Timandra. Pallas goes by the name of Paula Athos, Philippus answers to Piper Halcyon, Venelia reacts to Vera Ellis, and lastly Timandra is Tia Rand. They mix in with King Faraday's fellow agents.

[+++]

Elsewhere the caterers are setting up yet so far nobody can figure out what the deal is with all those extra vans down the winding roadway leading up to the mansion. It might just be part of the security detail, which seems likely if not for the fact that somebody is breaking into them after using the tailpipes to flood the interiors with knockout gas.

[+++]

Other couples in attendance include Fate and Inza, Scott and Barda Free, and various familiar faces met over the years. Bruce knows who most of them are so it would seem almost superfluous to mention all of them.

Cass' hidden earpiece is going off so as she sits down she whispers to King that she is getting a message from one of her operatives about their new ally on the scene.

"_You have got wedding crashers on the way Cassandra."_

"Thanks for the update, I'll pass it along."

King nods and ear piece signals all of his men except the ones down at the vans fail to respond, which worries him, but he'll have to send someone else to check since he is in plain view so he might tip off that they are aware if others are watching them from out here. Everyone starts to rise and looks in the direction of where Alfred Pennyworth is coming with the beautiful yet blushing bride. She looks every of that description and more though some catching the ogle stare of Bruce Wayne would notice his best man shoulder nudging him just to be sure he has not gone catatonic.

The flowing yellowish golden gown also has quite a train to be held up by Andrea who met with Diana just before the walkout to the promontory. They were also met by Selina who had come alone despite the extra guest on her invite. Both Andrea and Selina notice the look on Bruce's face while quelling the urge to be almost jealous of Diana yet in this situation what counts is Bruce's happiness, not theirs. Andrea lost her shot a lifetime ago and Selina knows her criminal past will probably own her despite her interludes with Batman before he met his Princess.

The priest is about to begin just as Diana joins Bruce at the front. The two repress the urge to laugh because something about the air is wrong. The priest rubs his hands across his face undoing the makeup. The skin underneath is distinctly pale.

"Yes your eyes do not deceive you Brucie… it is me… Joker! How is that for a punch line?"

Bruce swings during Joker's declaration.

"How about that one?" quips Bruce.

Joker plunges backward towards the edge of the promontory only Harley jumps between them firing the gloved fist gun at him. It sends him flying and Diana furious takes off after him aware that the dress is likely to be ruined before this is over. Dick goes after Harley leaving Barbara to deal with the grass as it is lashing out at the guests.

"King, Cass, get everyone out of here now!" shouts Barbara.

Poison Ivy binds Barbara.

"Tsk, tsk Batgirl… or is it Detective Gordon now?" cracks Ivy.

Ivy gets a fistful from a blonde.

"Forget about me?" quips Kara.

Kara gets a jolt from Livewire who emerges from the shadows.

Clark gets his matchup from Bane yet Bane should remember the last time they fought except Clark had been masquerading as Batman when Brainiac had been using Bruce to construct a new ship, but Brainiac did not succeed though it would not be the last they saw of him. The information junkie is like a cockroach, impossible to completely eradicate altogether. Donna is met by Cheetah and Kyle is going up against Sinestro. Kory is caught off guard by the appearance of her duplicitous and supposedly imprisoned sister Komand'r and Victor is standing toe to toe with his old nemesis that had at their first encounter paints the image that he is Cyborg's mentor.

Of course could one expect anything less of Brother Blood?

One could definitely not with a spotlight lover like Brother Blood. As for Gar, he is met by Slade while Raven faces Jinx for the first time in years so both charge into the fray. Roy faces Constantine Drakon for the first time in years, but of course the last time they met, it had been up to Oliver to save the young Speedy from Drakon yet they later learn Slade had staged the whole thing. Jade faces an old rival like her lover Roy except in her case it is Lady Shiva, the wife of David Cain and mother of Cassandra Cain. The number of one on one fights are multiplying at alarming rate.

* * *

Diana catches Bruce though in the process she does tear the train of the dress taking fabric damage. She drops him gently yet Joker and Two-Face close the distance after the drop.

"How is that you are both here or with fully functional brains?"

"Guess we can thank Cain for using that experimental serum on us, it appears to be reversing what old Blue Boy did to us years ago."

"Cain… figures… is Hush in this?"

"The good doctor has reached the end of his rope with Cain, so he is rotting in his Arkham cell unlike us last I heard anyway."

"I was pursuing a way to reverse the damage, but I didn't want to risk killing you in the process Harvey."

"Don't call me that Wayne…"

"Still prefer Two-Face?"

"It is what I am…"

"I offered to help you more than once since before your transformation."

"Still not interested…"

Bruce shifts back and forth between the two. Diana returns to her wing in the manor and slowly slips out of the dress. She is down to her undergarments when Whisper bursts in and tackles her.

"I don't have time for you either Whisper… "

She kicks Whisper clear across the room and proceeds to slip into her battle armor. She is just about to put on the breast plate when Whisper attacks again except Whisper walks into Diana clenched fist that she springs upward as she hears Whisper get closer. Whisper drops to the floor; Diana finishes suiting up, then opens the window and drops Whisper out. The unconscious Whisper falls on a handful of Cain's footmen. The dress could still be fixed though the wedding would have to wait apparently.

"Try to have a personal day, my wedding day, and they all come out of the wood work…"

Whisper is only a symptom she knows and so it must be Cain's doing if Whisper is here.

[+++]

Dick tumbles around matching Harley's acrobatics and stars dodging her wild swings while tossing 'wing-dings' at the vines binding Barbara. He might not officially be Nightwing anymore, but still carries some tools of the trade from time to time. He did not expect to need them today yet with this many villains attacking the wedding ceremony it had to be done. Barbara once free of the vines tackles Ivy and starts questioning how she is back in fighting form. She comments an experimental serum and some nanotechnology brought them back from zombieville. Dick spins Harley towards Ivy while Barbara is talking to her.

The two villains collide and pass out after impact.

* * *

Kory and Komand'r continue to exchange energy bolts. Vic is holding his own against Blood, same goes for Raven against Jinx, and Gar discovers he is fighting another robotic duplicate of Slade, no surprise there except it blows up in his face. Raven turns at the sound of explosion. She looks down seeing him out cold, no sign of breathing, and fires several bursts of dark energy at Jinx who did not expect such fury yet she forgets Raven's powers are driven by darker emotions. Jinx flies backward from the blast into Blood knocking him down allowing Vic to sonic blast him. No chance to dodge and so Raven gets Gar then teleports to Gotham Watchers Medical Facility.

* * *

Roy and Constantine continue to fight as does Cheshire or Jade and Lady Shiva. It is a standoff for Roy until Oliver blasts Drakon with a spread of arrows. It forces him to fall back yet not a full retreat while Barda, Dinah, and Helena simultaneously go after Shiva giving Cheshire/Jade a bit of reprieve.

Clark melts Bane's venom tubes and so he is weaker yet then pulls out green Kryptonite.

"Guess somebody forgot to tell you that stuff doesn't work anymore."

He freezes Bane in place with cold vision, which since his return had taken the place of his nullified original heat vision. He then freezes Livewire in order to distract her except she tries to electrify her way.

However Inara douses Livewire with powder made to null her powers. As for Kyle he is still busy with Sinestro so Kara goes to help him while Clark goes after Cheetah though only as distraction as Donna lands a knockout blow with Cheetah's focus on Clark.

* * *

Bruce is still fighting Joker and Two-Face when Cain emerges with Elliot at his side.

"Guess I was misinformed about the state of your alliance with Hush here."

"Yep, but four against one is better than three against one."

Dick, Barbara, and Cassandra Cain drop in soon after.

"I'd say those are poor odds."

"I was thinking four against four."

"Even out the odds."

Bruce grins with satisfaction.

"Guess your plan isn't working out."

Cain snaps his fingers and then a whole line-up of Society footmen emerge turning the tables again.

"My dear Cain… foolish man… you made a grave mistake as usual for you."

Cain turns around with a definite surprised look on his face yet still thinks he holds the advantage.

"The odds are still against you."

"I wish I thought of that..."

Talia brought twice as many footmen as Cain did to this party.

"Oh, wait I did."

Talia's smile is infectious to say the least then she leads her footmen into the battle.

The fight resumes as Bruce goes after Joker, Dick heads off to face Two-Face and Barbara is up against Hush, something new for her though she would make anyone pay for trying to sabotage this happy day. Talia and Cassandra engage Cain together.

The footmen have it out in the background.

Meanwhile outside Diana and the other Amazons are caught in fighting a recovering Whisper and her squad enhanced with Apokolipitian weaponry. It is even match between advanced alien weapons and weapons empowered by the Gods.

"Crash my wedding will you?!?" fumes Diana before she pummels Whisper.

The fighting continues into the night until their pile of unconscious bodies both inside and outside the manor. Whisper tries again and again to press the attack until she finds herself back to back with Cain and both realize this plan is a failure too. Diana slugs Whisper and Bruce flicks Cain in the forehead as he is barely able to stand plus his knuckles hurt from all the punching in the last few hours.

* * *

The serum used on the lobotomized former villains is wearing off, but of course due to its experimental nature, it is liable to be far less than effective. They are taken back to the new Arkham-Wayne Hospital, which is replacing the old Arkham Asylum.

Martha Kent sets to sewing the wedding dress train while others start the outside clean thus hoping to still pull off this wedding today. Diana and the other Amazons stay to her side of the mansion while Bruce finishes off overseeing the villain transportation to Arkham-Wayne, Graystone, and Stonegate. It had been a long afternoon and likely to be an even longer night even with the costumes supervising the transfer alongside the GCPD.

"So much for the afternoon off huh Commish?" jokes Ellen.

"Right 'L'," chuckles Montoya.

"Big error on their part going after so many costumes at once even with all those heavy hitters."

"Any chance of the wedding resuming tonight?"

"We'll see won't we Mr. Wayne or should I say Mr. Black?"

"We aren't in the wrong company right now… so just call me Bruce."

"Right… so what's the word?"

"I'm hoping to salvage this if only for Diana's sake put so much effort into the planning and the attire… especially her gown… thankful to Martha Kent and her sewing kit tonight… usually she might be patching Superman's costume."

"I bet she is more than happy to lend a thread in the situation."

"Now that's a bit funny."

Elsewhere in Diana's wing of the manor, Venelia and Pallas stand guard outside Diana's bedroom while she, Hippolyta, Timandra, and Philippus are inside.

"Someone to see you Princess, she says she is Martha Kent and the dress is ready."

"Send her in."

Martha, Donna, and Barbara carry in the wedding gown.

"It might not look the same, but it is still the most beautiful wedding dress I have even seen."

Diana gently hugs Martha.

"Thank you Mrs. Kent."

"Not a problem my dear, remember it is Martha, and I do believe this is still your wedding day."

Diana smiles and the women prepare to get dressed for the wedding ceremony again. Martha returns to her waiting husband in the ball room, which had been setup for the second attempt since so much damage is still needs looking after outside. The lineup starts moving again first the flower girls again, then the ring bearers, and the groomsmen enter arm in arm with the bridesmaids. Dick and Donna take their places as Maid of Honor and Best Man. Bruce takes his place next to Dick and finds Alfred there with the priest's readings and since the last guy in that guise was Joker, no chances this time.

"You ready Alfred…"

"I have been waiting for this day for nearly fifteen years… since you went off for that long term training to become Batman and since things went sour with Miss Beaumont… however to today's happiness and your still beautiful blushing bride over there."

Bruce for the second time ogles her and gets a chest jab from Dick. She is being led down the aisle arm in arm with J'onn while Andrea, Talia, and Selina hold up the train.

"Four women… three exes and a wife… sure you can handle those odds?" jests Dick.

"Only one of them counts above all else now and you know well who I mean," retorts Bruce.

"Of course, they had their chance, but Diana… she is the only one who could do it," cracks Donna.

All three at the makeshift altar know what Donna means even though she makes a humorous comment of it. J'onn passes Diana to Bruce who leads her to the last few steps to Alfred. Andrea, Selina, and Talia take their seats next to Zatanna and Jason. They were late getting there for reasons neither would speak of, but of course a few had seen them together lately. He is another case of a man made immortal by the condition of being bound to Etrigan. She still loves him anyway, that is the thing that is not a thing about love. You love all the way or not at all, weather the worst to garner moments of the better, and perhaps you'll have your day to say we'll stick together through it all.

Alfred starts the reading and more than a few in the rows start to cry mostly among the women though one could catch a few men passing it off as something in my eye kind of comment. Dick passes the ring off to Bruce.

"We have been through better and darker times yet one could always count that you stuck with me despite my rant about issues, despite the dangers our profession brings to us, despite or maybe in spite of everything else… you took me into your heart, that you would be willing to love, to wait, to be as stubborn as me… that we would somehow manage to rekindle the flame and keep it burning still especially after the fight earlier today… that aside… with this ring I again ask you to be my wife Diana."

Diana trembles though happily as he slides the ring onto her ring finger. She smiles as Donna hands to her the other ring; she holds back tears of happiness as does Donna due to their psychic bond.

"When we first met, I underestimated you from the start despite your lack of powers like the others we teamed up with at the time. When I had to engage Faust to save my people you were there to help me. When Aresia almost killed the entire male population again you were there and when learning of your personal history I saw a common thread except unlike her you did not let it turn you against the world. I was touched by your concern when the rocket buried me and who could ever forget our first dance in Paris. I could see you did care for me and then of course the first time I kissed you what memories you have given me back then. Of course the memories intensify since my return before Near 09 and rediscovering our love… so in the name of our loving memories I stand at your side asking you to be my husband Bruce."

She slides the ring onto his ring finger and feels the smooth yet rugged quality of his hand.

"You may now kiss the…"

Diana cuts to the chase by kissing Bruce, which catches everyone off-guard except Donna who felt it coming all along. Many women laugh and cry at the same time even the Amazons felt a moving twitch in their own hearts.

* * *

Linda Park is unable to make it as she is in labor with Wally's kid and so Inara goes to check on her along with Shayera, Warren, and John.

* * *

Diana stands facing the oak doors at the front of the manor as a handful of single women standing waiting for her toss the bouquet. She tosses it and Cassandra Cain without really knowing it is walking past towards where King is on the phone with his boss. She grips it with her open hand then notices what she caught just now. Donna and Jade crack up laughing at the sight of it.

"What is so funny?" quips Cassandra.

"You caught the bouquet Cassandra," answers Donna.

"Guess that means you are next in line," laughs Jade.

King turns to see her there holding the flowers.

"Nice catch… well I got to jet they need me back in D.C. See you on the weekend maybe."

King hops onto a motorcycle and follows the caravan of Insiders vehicles leaving the area. Cassandra tosses the flowers again and the single women try again. This time Donna and Jade are in something of a pulling match so each ends up with the half the flowers.

"A double to go?" jokes Diana.

"Anything is possible Diana," says Hippolyta.

"Time for you to return then?" asks Diana.

"You and Bruce are welcome to visit; it is the first Amazonian marriage in centuries."

"Maybe… though we have something called a honeymoon set for the next few weeks."

"It is an open ended invite. Enjoy your honeymoon."

* * *

Early the next morning, Linda Park gives birth to Hector West, the son she sired with the briefly resurrected Wally West, and of course now before a small audience they witness the continuation of the late superhero in the form of his only son. Bruce and Diana drop by briefly to see mother and son before beginning their lengthy honeymoon set to start in of all places the place where the romance really made its first take off and made a reignite further prior to Near 09, the City of Lights a.k.a. Paris.

* * *

They'll be going by her Invisible Jet, which is somewhat weighed down from luggage, but they stay high enough to avoid the airliner traffic patterns. Bruce licks his lips slightly when she bends over in the tiny cargo section, and he unbuttons her blouse revealing that she wore lingerie under her reception outfit.

"You thought we would be so soon?"

"I have been a very patient woman today and now husband… keep digging…"

"Yes I believe I shall…"

He gently pulls down her stockings, the yellowish golden ones she wore with the gown of course, and they still look fantastic on her to him. She tears open his shirt, he can always buy a new one in Paris, and he unzips her skirt. Several clothing items later, she can be heard panting and he gasping slightly for air. It is obviously getting steamy for different reasons in here between the temperature drops at this altitude and sharing body heat. He kisses her neck, she scratches his back slightly, he had plenty of battle scars, but of course she'll leave marks of her own with both nails and naturally her lips.

"So is this what they call honeymoon yet?"

"Yes… though it technically had begun when you told me to undress you."

"Let's not be technical then… "

She pins him and reminds him why he always found her too compelling to deny in this position. He runs his fingers through her flowing hair, of many her physical features, he had been very drawn to her hair, her eyes, and from time to time her legs. She kept in shape yet so did he though what they are doing now counts as a workout. After almost eight years, they were finally together as a married couple and it made her grin without even thinking it. Diana feels him shift her weight and decides there is only one or two things better than chocolate, Bruce in heat, and making love to Bruce.

"You are mine Bruce…"

"… indeed Princess."

* * *

A/N 1: Yep the wedding day is here though it is not going off without a hitch... also continuity modifications for Amazonian ties to ancient history.

A/N 2: Switchback between the men and the women getting ready then onto the actual ceremony. I actually had to write who was with who in the scene just to keep descriptions straight, its practical I think so at any rate. All the couples whether dating or married already are present. Of course the whole Cassandra Cain-King Faraday is back with a bit humor as Cassandra without knowing it catches the bouquet... hint hint maybe.

A/N 3: Of the kids that can walk are taking part too though naturally as Linda is going in for delivery she won't make it despite thinking that she might. So yep Wally's child is born... Enter Hector West... kept trying to debate what name to give... so I went with Hector just to be different.


	28. Within Her

They walk hand in hand towards the Eiffel Tower once more before departing to the next stop, which is Venice because Diana is curious to see the canals. It is a simple matter to disguise themselves though somewhat harder with a woman as stunningly beautiful as Diana so she pulls a bit of Clark Kent by wearing glasses and tying back her hair in public. They park the Invisible Jet at their other stop while in Italy, the island of Sardinia where Bruce doles out a heavy sum to reserve a villa for the next two months, they spent almost two months previously in Paris. Diana had this unusual glow to her lately, but Bruce took it for a relatively happy married wife look.

* * *

Diana however suspects something different as the weeks pass them by after returning to Sardinia, to the villa where most of their afternoons are spent on the beach or swimming. She glistens when dripping wet from her morning swims and he found himself sampling her attempts to cook for him though he does try to return the favor with varying results. As their last week in Sardinia comes to an end, he finds her throwing up in the bathroom and she tries to wave him off to deal with it herself. He won't leave her like this so he kneels down and strokes her hair.

"It is morning sickness isn't it?" murmurs Bruce.

"If this is tied to pregnancy then well I am… or we are… whatever the right phrase…" groans Diana.

She starts throwing up again, there is usually no controlling involuntary throwing up, and he pulls back her hair and binds it with one of the scrunchies that Barbara had given her as a wedding present. He stays with her until she ceases and feels decidedly weakened from the amount of that come out of her. He makes an international call to Alfred and to Leslie to ask what he should do after morning sickness subsides. Alfred suggests ginger ale or snaps in afternoon tea as well as lemons while Leslie suggests liquid intake after meals plus fulfill hunger cravings is also an idea.

He finds her resting in a reclining chair and quietly brings over a spot tea with traces of ginger in it. She weakly smiles and sips the tea while nibbling on some crackers too.

"For a time I thought my cooking might have made you sick until some other things tipped me off."

"Well I never did tell you this, but after the Goddesses had given me back my power… they also said it would be possible for me to have children so long as the man's love for me is true and undeniable."

He conceals his surprise at her revelation.

"Any reason why you did not bring it up before or maybe it was what we were dealing with then perhaps."

"Partially… the other part is that I wanted to find out for myself just how deep our love is for each other and so I have found like you that we are drawn to each other like the sun and the stars."

He gently pulls her to her feet and they just sort of dance though not in a way that is an actual dance. A song can be heard playing and it just happens to be a song that holds significance for them.

"Sunlight lights up the daytime…"

"…moonlight lights up the night."

"I light up when you call my name…"

"… and you know I'm gonna treat you right."

"You give me fever when you kiss me…"

"… Fever when you hold me tight."

"Fever in the morning…"

"…Fever all through the night."

She laughs noticing that they sung alternating lines from one of her favorite songs and somebody probably Donna had seen to it that it got a play at the reception after the wedding. They still went to the beach during the last few days there though they would only wade in the water instead of swimming because the morning sickness kept at it. The next place for them to go is Hokkaido, which bring Bruce back to Japan for the first time in years. However it is one of Diana's first trips there without a villain drawing for a fight or an Omega level threat too.

* * *

Bruce is of the mind that she actually looks more beautiful as she enters the first month of the second trimester. He walks up behind her caresses her belly noting the size, which seems to indicate that she might be carrying not one, but two inside her. The prospect of twins is a little perplexing yet it seem to fit with the weight gain, not that her weight matters except in terms of the health of her and whatever number of babies she is carrying inside her. He kisses her neck and decides to keep the theory to himself though J'onn opts to teleport to Hokkaido to check up on her after hearing about her pregnancy.

It is a minor interruption though not without purpose to it.

"Hello J'onn!" exclaims Diana.

"Greetings Diana, I haven't seen such a glow since my wife had become pregnant centuries ago."

Diana blushes before guiding her medically minded friend to one of the extra bedrooms. A portable series of consoles materialize a few minutes later and so he works to set it up as quick as he can though he could grasp why Batman… why Bruce sought privacy in such a matter. He prepares her for an ultrasound and Bruce joins them once the setup is ready for use. Bruce rubs the substance that J'onn hands him onto her belly, which is part of procedure though Diana giggles and shivers at the same time.

"Tickles and chills, definitely a new one," pips Diana.

J'onn starts the scan while threading the device back and forth. Little by little an image begins to build in the flat screen display. They can see one shape yet there seems like there could be another. J'onn asks if he might directly connect his mind to the womb for a brief moment and Diana consents with only some sign of concern on Bruce's face. J'onn mentally confirms that he and naturally Bruce thought there could be twins in there. J'onn's mouth forms an irrepressible smile and he breaks the mental tie a few seconds later.

"Everything okay in there J'onn?" asks Diana.

"Quite well actually, you have two very healthy and developing children in your womb," answers J'onn.

"You mean we are having twins?!?" gasps Diana.

"Yes a very rare occurrence among Martians even at the peak of our civilization."

"Thank you for coming J'onn, we would like to tell the others when we return from the honeymoon."

"As you wish though I suspect some will be begging me for details… no worries Bruce I know how to keep quiet."

Diana pulls a glare all her own on Bruce about even thinking about J'onn telling the others anything this early. Bruce shrugs and mumbles old habits are not so easily given up. She hugs him and they watch J'onn with his equipment teleport away.

* * *

They spend a few hours outside watching the autumn transpire in this corner in the world and Diana caresses her belly. He sits down next to her and they watch the sunset together.

"What is the local word for autumn?"

"_Aki_, I believe that would be the word."

"What about spring?"

"I am certain it is _Haru_…"

"A curious language though I am not quite as language fluent as you Bruce."

"I'm willing to teach any language to you… I traveled enough that I heard plenty."

"Probably accounts for you knowing Kasnian then."

"The only time I thought I would have trouble with that was in Kasnia, but of course the accent seems to have worked."

"There was of course that Kasnian Spec Ops guy left tied upside down to the street lamp too."

"Read in the papers a few days later that he kept babbling about how Batman got him to talk."

"One wonders what exactly you say to certain people to get to talk and look all sweaty at the same time."

"It is called psychological interrogation… get them to talk without doing anything except scare them."

"You merely would scare them and they would blabber like someone caught them with a hand in a cookie jar?"

"I can't give away all the trade secrets."

"Right. I'd like some ginger tea again if you don't mind preparing some."

He guides her to the cushions set up for her and she grins at the tea set on the table.

"You almost put Alfred to shame."

"I learn from the best."

"You have the money after all."

"Not enough pennies in the world to afford me the true fortunes in my life."

She hugs him tightly and then of course kisses knowing what he meant for once in a rare turn. When Bruce wants to baffle, be mysterious, and perplex, he will yet with her, she is learning to read through all the mannerisms or so she wants to believe in when he does cute things like this in her mind. As for him, she looks lovelier than blossoms in a kimono in his eyes. He would certainly hope his late parents would approve of her though given the way Alfred kept talking about such things over the years, the butler kept insisting so long as you and your eventual wife are happier together, that is enough for me, for them.

Bruce always knows what Alfred means by them.

As he sits beside her, she plops her feet onto his lap then sort of rubs her feet against his legs, he tries to refrain from reacting, but his body turns on him this time. He starts by rubbing her feet, which stimulates her further until forcing him to work her over. Hormones indeed one might be thinking yet they merely got hot, heavy, and close as one could expect if she had found ways to drive him into being a husband in the guise of a masseur. She softly sighs and moans a little at his caresses, they would be careful with her pregnancy, but enjoying themselves here and there would not hopefully be any danger for either of them.

* * *

Demeter at Persephone's request persists in attempts to shadow them from prying supernatural eyes including a certain sorceress who is foolishly pushing for another shot at parole from the Pits. As for Demeter, she found it less perplexing to observe this couple of contrasts, but then again her daughter had become part of the Underworld for half the year thus the Greeks took it as the basis for the seasons. There is some truth to it except there is an actual combination of supernatural and science to why the world experiences seasons. The orbit path is the science whereas the resilience of the planet itself stems from Demeter as well as her counterparts in the other pantheons. She also recalls the words of a certain poet who wrote if Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

The answer varies from year to year yet spring always comes in the wake of even the harshest winters. She also recalls another mortal wrote that autumn too had its charms. Curious beings these poets are all she could think yet she is certain she owes the Muses for that turn… that twitch in her immortal heart. She in her own way envies Diana yet she also recalls the joys of the motherhood in raising Persephone yet after a few centuries she cease to feel ill at ease with Hades for taking her daughter as his queen. He was not the most faithful husband though even immortals were prone to lapses of fidelity. However the mortal that the once immortal Diana of Themyscira had give her heart to is faithful, that much is clear from his concern for her well being as well their offspring growing within her.

She notes that the world is in the midst of autumn or fall yet here the natives call it _Aki_. The word itself seems slightly romantic and inviting thus it seems that Diana is nicknaming the life within her _Aki_. A familiar noise can be heard next to her and she notes Aphrodite is on the scene.

"_You have no idea how hard a case these two were before he quit being so stubborn about her."_

"_It seems she could out stubborn him or perhaps in her long absence prior to what happen last year made a change in him."_

"_You would be half right, but even I shed tears on their wedding day, what else do you expect from the Goddess of Love though?"_

"_Yes… I imagine Ares had a really trip up when he found out that his old favorite had abandoned him… I mean she first had given up Hera for him when the six of them took power as the Justice Lords."_

"_He got over it; there are always other conflicts and worshipers to him or to war."_

"_The Goddesses have gone to great lengths to shield this from anyone looking to exploit her pregnancy including her enemies… she has made more than a few though some due to Hippolyta's past."_

"_Sure enough we must keep this from anyone even the Gods or any of their consorts."_

"_I am kind of surprised that some are afraid to speak of her despite the ease that she was beaten with."_

There is a brief silence before Aphrodite shifts topics.

"_What of Donna? What of those futures that did happen for her and for us aside from that reset?"_

"_We have Chronos and Ananke to blame for that though it was their manipulations that help stave off temporal annihilation, but some should keep their eyes on them lest we have a repeat."_

"_I would trust both have learned their lesson especially Ananke, her offspring had been the trigger though of course nobody could have foreseen exactly what would make the human side so unstable… as we repeatedly find even we the supernatural are prone to slips and flaws."_

"_Speak for yourself Demeter… okay… silly me… I am the Goddess of Love… my flaw if anything is wanting love to work out no matter what and of course I have picked up a little too much from Narcissus on looks."_

Aphrodite and Demeter both vanish unaware that someone had in fact broken the latter's attempt to shield Diana's pregnancy from prying eyes, but of course Bana-Mighdall had taken interest in the pregnancy, more specifically the deities that Bana-Mighdall had taken up as their pantheon following the Schism in the wake of Penthesilea's departure and later death as a mortal. Sekhmet is a peer to Ares with exception that Sekhmet is part of the all female pantheon that empowers the Bana-Mighdall. Aphrodite's counterpart is known as Ishtar who bears quite a bit in common with her Greek counterpart for that why they both press the world in matters of love; they are also known for being self-possessive and for jealously. Isis had sent both Sekhmet and Ishtar to observe the progression of Diana's pregnancy though to be as discreet as possible.

* * *

Artemis and Antiope of Bana-Mighdall however are not the ones who went to Isis with this request rather someone else among the tribe made this request. The one had come to Bana-Mighdall by way of an aircraft that had been shot down by air pirates she had supposedly been the only survivor. However she had managed to survive the Sahara Desert is mysterious to most, but an archaeology excavation at first made the mistake that a battered human male skeleton is proof of some mysterious city hidden from prying eyes.

Truth is told the Bana-Mighdall mistook the man to be harming the young girl when in fact he had been trying to get her to some form of civilization ever since he barely got the plane to land weeks before when he lost his crew to air pirates. He also lost to his deepening regret, the refugees he had taken on, but of course the Bana-Mighdall seem to have an even lower tolerance for men than the Themyscirans. Their view of mankind had been tempered often yet men like this Bruce Wayne had apparently softened their disdain much to the Bana-Mighdall's upset.

* * *

Isis is ever watchful of those who had turn from Hera and her Themysciran 'daughters' yet she is wary of this proposal being put forth together by Ishtar and Sekhmet at the request of the Bana-Mighdall known as Aresia. Aresia was born outside the Bana-Mighdall's sphere of influence yet as Isis well knows the Bana-Mighdall took her after purportedly slaying her attacker. An error on their part that not even Isis thought to correct yet somehow it is contributing to this bizarre plan to usurp Amazonian bloodline from its birthright successors.

If there is one thing that Isis abhors above all else, it is to betray the pact made between the Pantheons in the wake of the war with the Titans and it otherworldly allies, the Kernugians.

The Kernugians had in millennia past made a most daring masquerade of pretending to the Mesopotamian Pantheon, which in truth, they were obviously not and during their masquerade they had kept the true ones in captivity.

Of course the Mesopotamian Pantheon before and since is not taken as a benign branch of the supernatural yet it is also the natural state of that specific region that also reinforces this desert proving ground quality to it. They had however been seen for what they truly were due to the intervention of an unexpected alien presence besides their own. This is not taken as historical fact, but the Thanagarian Incursion less than a decade ago is not the first time that race had come to Earth. In fact they have been here before especially as mortal archaeologist Jeremy Granger had been learning recently during a new excavation. He had found sufficient evidence to support alien arrivals on Earth before the likes of Superman or the former Hawkgirl.

It had been troublesome in a slight way to Isis that Jeremy Granger should so resemble one of the Thanagarians that had been within her domain millennia ago during the war between the Gods and the Titans. However she already seen the resemblance between Shayera Hol and Chay Ara Hol, but of course it could just as easily be what some mortal genetics experts refer to as generational duplication. Others refer to as genetic reincarnation yet even she could not entirely dismiss the possibility. However if there is any connection, the two had led very separate lives this time, that is if they are really reborn from Katar and Chay Ara. At any rate, she would hope that Jeremy did not expose himself to the malfunctioning Absorbacron because a broken one or malfunctioning one could be extremely dangerous especially to a human mind.

* * *

Isis had witness the fight between Katar acting as a general for Horus against Hath-Set, a sorcerer that commands an undead army at the behest of Anubis, but of course Hath-Set lost the fight even with the magical weaponry given to him by Set. Horus made certain that Katar using a combination of Thanagarian technology and an earlier version of what is to become the Nth metal would be the victor. The defeat of Hath-Set is only part of the plan to drive back the alliance of the Titans and the Kernugians. However on his dying breath, Hath-Set had put a curse on the presumed soul of Katar Hol and so the victory is pyrrhic for him.

The exact terms of the curse remain unclear except that he would be reborn perhaps forever without ever truly dying and as his beloved, she would be too except the reincarnation would not preserve memories of the original life or any of the subsequent ones. Isis had been too late to stop Hath-Set then, but now it seems he is coming back possibly. She scans the thread lines searching the world for the location of Shayera Hol and finds her in North America, at home with her son, her son with John Stewart. It would now more than ever be imperative that Granger hold no memories of Katar's in his mind otherwise it could be upsetting to find someone who looks like her alive and holding a child on her lap that is not his.

She summons Horus and so he readily appears before her as any dutiful son would, but of course family relationships are somewhat more fluid among deities as Isis had known for millennia.

"I am at your command," says Horus.

She exhales knowing they simply don't often make men, mortal or immortal, quite like Horus anymore.

"I need you to be my agent in monitoring what is happening within Bana-Mighdall as well as a mortal… Jeremy Granger… he may be beginning to believe he is the reincarnation of Katar Hol… that is if the Absorbacron had given Katar's memories in so far as the Absorbacron knows them."

Horus listens intently then rises from his kneeling posture.

"I will approach, but should I not use a disguise?"

Isis massages her temple before answering him.

"Something that will not perplex him at first though given your association with Katar you may want to reveal yourself as is… however that is up to you."

Horus disappears from her sanctum and begins his journey to Jeremy Granger who is still in the Sahara Desert.

* * *

"What is your plan precisely?" inquires Antiope.

Aresia stands before the Bana-Mighdall Queen and her most loyal adviser Artemis knowing that if she cannot persuade at least one of them then she will have to take the alternate route to accomplish her intentions.

"I intend to seize the Themysciran bloodline through Hippolyta's first daughter Diana who is pregnant with children, with twins according to the Oneiroi," replies Aresia.

"You are not supposed to confer with anyone from the Olympian Pantheon," retorts Artemis.

"I did not hear them objecting to my actions."

Antiope raises her hand to end the debate before giving the upstart Aresia her expected disapproval. Aresia snaps her fingers before Antiope finishes and dozens of Bana-Mighdallians loyal to her aim their weapons at the Queen and her royal adviser. Antiope smirks before snapping her own finger and then twice as many appear ready to defend the Queen. The fight rages for over twenty minutes, but of course in the frenzy Antiope is hit by a fatal dagger given to Aresia by Sekhmet who knows Antiope is Isis' mainstay favorite and wishes to unseat her. As a war goddess, Sekhmet disdains peace after awhile and so a war between the Amazons is appealing to her as she delights at the old fashion methods that were once the premiere warfare styles in millennia past.

"Artemis…you must warn…"

Aresia elbows Antiope and so Artemis commands a fall back of survivors then instructs the Elite Guard to take as many loyalists as possible then go underground hoping that they can stay hidden until her return. She is about to breach a two millennia old pact that made the Schism possible after Penthesilea's abdication and what befell her as a mortal in the midst of the Trojan War. She realizes it would be suicidal to go there without a witness, without someone to vouch her so it means approaching either Diana or Donna yet going to Diana is the more futile option as it would mean leading the renegade Bana-Mighdallians to the pregnant Diana.

So it seems she would have to go to Donna and hope the younger sister would believe her story. As she prepares to leave the city, a falcon lands beside her and transfigures into someone she did not expect to see at their border, the god Horus. He whisks her away to Isis figuring she is a victim to the plot that Isis had been suspicious about for some time now. Aresia does not take Artemis' apparent escape well yet she commands a fair amount of loyalty as many tire of just watching Man's World run the planet and the female gender into the ground so she prepares to eradicate the male gender.

* * *

Thousands of miles away in Metropolis, Donna awakens with a start and quite sweaty. It had all come flooding back to her and more… much worse than before. It would seem they had undone all those deadly futures only to find themselves facing a new one starting with a gender specific virus to be let loose very soon. As she tries to rise from bed she is almost too dizzy to stand as one of the worse things imaginable happens and it is that Diana's foreseen pregnancy is undone by this disease because of half the genes in her _twins_ had come from Bruce.

Donna gasps before there had only been a daughter, what could change that she wonders before she is on the verge of passing out. It occurs to her just before she blacks out and it had been they would be special for reasons unclear to her at moment. However she would have to warn Diana yet she cannot hold back the tide that pulls her into an unconscious state. Kyle comes back to the apartment and calls out to her with no response so he starts looking around almost in a panic then spots the sweat soaked bed. Next he spots her unconscious on the floor so he dashes over and comlinks for a teleport to the Watchers' Medical Facility here in Metropolis.

[+++]

He is met at the waiting room by Nelson, Inza, Zatanna, and Jason. Three out of four reports feeling a strange disturbance in the past few hours and it is clear that it holds more than one source with Donna presently unconscious.

Rachel, Gar, Victor, and Kory turn up after hearing about Donna. Dick arrives much later as he had been waiting until the kids were sound asleep plus he put a house sitting request to Tim and Stephanie. Barbara had understood why he had to go alone on this one plus she is too tired between the kids and her day job. She made a parting comment to Dick before he left.

"_I used to think being a night owl was exhausting, but it appears daytime and kids takes the cake."_

"_Less chance of super villains that way… well I'd hope so at any rate."_

"_Me too… well get going and catch me up later when I'm not tired hopefully."_

Dick had been somewhat like Bruce in the respect that they seem to always be on better terms with women than with men. He knows well that he could be with Kory or even Donna right now though he made his call on that three going on four years prior to Bruce doing time for his part in the Justice Lords' stewardship or reign. He arrives only to get a drag along by his collar to see scans taken of Donna's brain. It is showing signs of hyperactivity in the past few hours as if she is retaining too much memory at once and unable to emerge to the forefront in order to wake up from the near catatonic state this overflow is putting her into at the present.

"What exactly is going on in there J'onn?" queries Rachel.

"I am uncertain; I have never seen anything like this even my own species centuries ago."

"We may have to go in there to figure it out then," suggests Kory.

"It might be unwise less we risk putting another of us into a comatose state."

Kyle enters after hearing them mumble back and forth for over twenty minutes.

"I am volunteering," shouts Kyle.

"You are not telepathic," states Victor.

"Neither are you Stone, neither is Kory, neither is Gar, or even Dick here."

"It leaves only me or J'onn," comments Rachel.

"I think we should consult the Amazons on this."

"Time is wasting because the overflow at this rate could kill her before the Amazons could respond."

J'onn debates the options before opting to be the bridge between Donna and Kyle. Rachel insists she would be a better candidate to navigate the chaos radiating from Donna. However J'onn overrules and comments back that Donna would react perhaps better to Kyle. It is not a preference judgment call, just a matter of deciding who she would be more receptive to at present. Kyle is given neural receptors and other devices to track various mental and body functions while he is in the telepathic conduit. Kyle's eyes flutter shut…

… _**And he awakens to a hospital room in ruins.**_

"_What happen here?" murmurs Kyle._

"_The Reckoning happen Green Lantern," answers a voice._

"_Who are you?" asks Kyle._

"_I am Chronos, I am time and reality incarnate," responds the voice._

"_I thought Chronos was a myth… I know of the Lanterns' myth that nobody can see the beginning or the end of Time."_

"_This is true… however I am aware of from the infinitesimal after Time begins all the way to a similar incident before Time ends, but in a manner of speaking I am actually outside linear conceptions of Time so I can be anywhere and any when I think of."_

"_What is happening to Donna?"_

"_She is recalling everything she had the one renamed Astraea helped her to forget after she had come back from a future not unlike the one you are seeing now… she is seeing many futures, many presents, and much more… it is limitless."_

"_So what is the focal point of what leads to this future?"_

"_A war in your present, a war between the races… mortal, immortal, alien, and supernatural… the kernel if you will of the focus are the offspring of Donna's older sister… there is one with an obsession to control the regal Amazonian bloodline except this obsession collides with another beheld by the same individual."_

"_Who are you talking about?" queries Kyle._

"_A Bana-Mighdallian Amazon called Aresia… another of the same tribe comes in search of Donna in the hopes that her pursuers think she is going directly for Diana as she needs a witness to assure that Queen Hippolyta will hear her out."_

"_Donna's conditions presumably will force her to find Diana… unless someone can rouse Donna."_

"_I suspect that is why you are here as you undoubtedly know the overflow could kill her if she does not gain a measure of regulation over it."_

"_Where is she in all this?"_

"_I am uncertain… I may have given her this power, but see is one of the few that prevent me from sensing where precisely she is in regards to the visions of alternate realities and histories."_

"_Figures…"_

"_I will direct you however to Gotham Cemetery…"_

"_Why there?" demands Kyle._

_However Chronos is gone by the time that Kyle shouts out. Kyle takes flight as he relies on the idea that he is still able to do so in this state, but it will take time to find her while time is decidedly not on his side. He would have to hurry his pace and so directs as much concentration he can to his speed. As he speeds through the skies, there is only a waste land beneath him likely made so by the war that Chronos spoke of earlier. It is unsettling to see Metropolis in such a state and he begins to wonder who brought this about because not even an army of Amazonians could cause this much carnage. _

_He leaves this possible ruin for Metropolis behind him and keeps trying to forget how close Metropolis had almost come to this several years back before the Justice Lords, when Superman alone had gone several rounds with Darkseid._

_He passes a desolate Bludhaven along the way to Gotham and it looks the same if not worse than Metropolis yet Gotham takes the bent crown for the most desolate city. It true is a ghost of its former self, worse than it was before Batman, but of course when he gets to Gotham Cemetery he is made painfully aware of why this is the case. _

_In this time line or reality, the Watchers or whoever is the team counterpart for the Watchers here lost big time. He begins to cringe and cry slightly while inwardly thinking about how Donna could weather seeing all this, it appears she had not, so that would be why she would be eager to forget so much of these worst case scenarios._

"_Donna?!?" shouts Kyle._

_There is no response and so he keeps walking until spotting several familiar names on head stones starting with Vic Sage, then Helena Bertinelli, after her is Barbara Grayson, next is Dick… Tim… Stephanie… and a sure kick is the one that reads "In memory of Bruce and Diana Wayne." A straight kick to the gut is the listening two children below their names, twins that died in childbirth along with Diana apparently. Bruce death date is some time after Diana's in this time line/reality though still no sign of Donna until a darkly dressed woman tries to slug him._

"_Easy it is a dark time for all of us," murmurs Kyle._

"_Kyle? I thought you were dead, killed in Metropolis months ago," answers Donna._

"_Donna… this is not real… this future has not happen yet... none of what you have seen has happen yet… you have to wake up!"_

"_All of this is quite real… I have had these flashes, these visions before, that is when things kept changing just after Bruce and Diana announced their engagement… of course nobody remembers except me thanks to Chronos granting me this ability… you hear me you supernatural lunkhead… take it back already… its torture!"_

"_I am here Donna… come back with me… we can change it just like you did the last…"_

"_It is only the Reckoning deferred… you can only stop annihilation so many times…"_

"_The future is not written in stone…"_

"_No, but somewhere, some when, some how all these possibilities they do happen… just a matter of is it going to be us or someone who looks like us or had lives like ours or maybe they are totally opposite… the point is… you can't change fate!"_

"_You don't sound like the Donna Troy I know!"_

"_News flash… she is gone… I am all that is left…"_

"_I don't believe that… now help me… help yourself… "_

"_I am sitting this round out."_

"_When one is faced with their own death… the impossible becomes less of a barrier…"_

_In between her tears, Donna weakly smiles figuring Kyle could be as stubborn as her even when she lost faith in her ability to change the flow in their reality at the very least, and so a glowing doorway appears ahead of them._

It is time to rise to the occasion again, but one could expect no less when Omega level situations usually brought them out on top form because well everything is on the line.

* * *

Artemis materializes in Metropolis along side Jeremy Granger who unfortunately had been given the memories from the Absorbacron yet to his luck it had somehow gotten through the centuries with almost no damage. He had seen everything that had happen to Katar and been made aware that his devotion to Horus' campaign had been the thing to cost him Chay Ara as she had been taken with another officer, a commander called Joran who bore a significant resemblance to the present day Shayera's husband John.

"Do you know if someone who looks like Chay Ara lives in this time?" queries Granger.

"No I do not… so quit your questions… I have more pressing matters to take care of… it baffles me why Isis thinks I would need your assistance I much prefer to have Horus over you."

"You forget I have the memories and essence of General Katar Hol inside me…"

"That did not save you from Hath-Set's curse!"

"Nobody is perfect princess."

"Again I am not a princess… I am the Royal Adviser to the Queen."

"My mistake…"

"Better be your last… and we are about to have company."

[+++]

The former Titans descend on Artemis and Granger.

"What brings you to Metropolis Artemis?" queries Donna.

"We have a usurper who is looking to seize the Themysciran bloodline and kill the males of the world."

"How original… actually not… how many times are we going to hear that one?" comments Gar.

"Enough with the cracks… this is serious Garfield!" snaps Rachel.

Gar steps back then Rachel drags him away by the ear and he is all about telling her to quit. Victor steps away tugging at both Dick and Kory who are a little curious given how quickly it seem that Donna had come out of the near coma. It would obviously have to wait awhile given the severity of what this renegade Amazonian is up to at present. They would have to hurry if they were going to get to Diana in time that is if Aresia plans to move against Diana soon.

J'onn reveals that they should still be in Hokkaido for awhile so the four of them plus Zatanna and Jason head off to board a Javelin then fly out. It will take a few hours to get there even though magic would be faster. It is however suspicious that somebody might be monitoring magical or technological teleports so they would have to be careful.

* * *

"Greetings Diana… you are coming with us!" commands Aresia.

"No way in Tartarus!" snaps Diana.

Bruce comes out of the bathroom to find Diana fending off another woman in Amazonian like armor yet is no Amazon he had ever seen before and he had a few though this does not look friendly. Diana is hit by at least six or seven tranquilizer darts whereas Bruce merely gets hit over the back of the head as he had been paying too much attention to what is or rather was in front of him. He would not be so easily taken down, but his skull is pounding as he passes out.

Whatever he got hit with… it really hurt a lot.

They depart with a pregnant Diana in tow.

[+++]

He awakens to find Donna, Zatanna, Kyle, Jason, and two he cannot identify at first looking down at him.

"You are late!" groans Bruce.

Dick and Jason pull him to his feet.

"We would have called ahead, but the word of someone going after Diana kind of took priority."

"A call would have been nice for a warning."

Dick holds up a torn phone wire.

"Given the damage… I'd say it would have been moot point… the place looks like a tsunami hit it except without the water."

Bruce glares at the strange woman and feels certain that she holds some connection to Diana's abductors.

"Who are you?" demands Bruce.

"Considering the regard that Themyscira or at least the top three or four Themysciran Amazons hold for you… you would think somebody forgot to mention an impatient fool!" yells Artemis.

"I merely sought a name!"

Dick and Donna step between them.

"Forgive her… her Queen is not in control of the city anymore."

Dick tries to soften the blow of Diana being taken by appealing to his kinder side.

"Forgive him, but his beloved is now a prisoner of a mutual enemy."

Donna tries to appeal to an alliance to defeat Aresia's insurrection.

"As your allies have told you, Queen Antiope is not on the throne in Bana-Mighdall at present due to a usurper who intends to force a reunion of the tribes under her rule as well as engineer the downfall of mankind… and by mankind… I mean the population is liable to become only female before this century ends unless we all stop her."

"Then we must go to Bana-Mighdall immediately and put an end to this gamble."

Donna leans against Kyle trying to conceal worries about the possible futures and so they return to the Javelin except it is gone. They look around and find they are no longer in Hokkaido anymore. Someone or something has taken them elsewhere.

"A delicious pleasure to see you again Batman… or should I say Bruce Wayne… It seems so uncertain as to what to call you… well can't have you interfering with Aresia's plan plus I made a deal with Sekhmet and Ishtar to keep you all out of the way."

The dark purple hair, the strange garments, and the boots all seem to echo one name… _Circe_.

* * *

A/N 1: Unlike earlier, Diana is having twins. However Bruce must overcome any reluctance if they are to save Diana and the twins from Aresia.

A/N 2: In the present time line, I modified Aresia's origins from the one established in the JL episode Fury. She still fled a besieged country except by plane and that plane crashed in the Sahara Desert instead of her being cast off a sunk ship and ending up in Themyscira. However one similarity remains, the ranking pilot on the plane did his best to keep her alive though he is slain by the Bana-Mighdall as they think he is attacking her.

A/N 3: Aresia is going beyond genocide as she wants to rule because she believes others have failed in this way.

A/N 4: Artemis for the sake of Antiope and the Queen's loyalists seeks an alliance with Themyscira and anyone else willing to help her reclaim Bana-Mighdall for Antiope. Meanwhile Donna's got the time line/reality visions back, it takes her to the breaking point, but Kyle won't let it take her down.

A/N 5: Enter Jeremy Granger aka Hawkman (aka Katar Hol?). In this segment and the previous, a lot of modified back story history has turned up and more so this time with the war between the Gods and the Titans. Immortals and their mortal allies against Supernaturals and their alien comrades. It is loosely connected to some of the comics that feature similar conflicts.


	29. His Light

He knows from past experience that tossing batarangs at her is pointless given that last time she had turn them into harmless doves. He instead charges at her once pulling on the cowl, it had been habitual instinct for someone to remember the Batsuit, but he usually never travels anywhere without a spare, even on his own honeymoon. As he lunges at her however something feels strange yet it is clear what she had done when the light fades away. Batman and Bruce Wayne are now separate people thus without the traits that Bruce bought to Batman, the costume is decidedly different, not unlike his old Justice Lord costume.

"Perhaps you are wondering where I got that trick, but it is a simple matter to divide people into separate selves… fragmented mentality within you made it simpler than usual… let's test this trick on the others."

Zatanna and Jason trigger a magical barrier around the others in the group leaving Bruce to face Batman alone. Bruce however finds without the martial arts training that he relies while in costume, he possesses only the mind… the heart… the will… the wits. Batman's edge comes from the theatricality… the deception… the psychology… the fear including Bruce's fear. They battle much to Circe's amusement and so Zatanna concedes to Jason the task of restoring Bruce and Batman as a whole. However Jason or rather Etrigan is the only cause for the why of the barrier is capable of withstanding the sorceress' attempt to divide them too.

"We are going to need Fate and Inza on this one… anyone know how to get there attention?"

Jeremy discards his cover up to reveal his Hawkman costume and so he urges the others to let him distract Circe if that is indeed possible. He goes out blocking Circe's magical strikes with his sword, one he had found to the tomb of Katar and Chay Ara Hol. His curiosity to find a reincarnation of Chay Ara would have to wait with two of the world's modern iconic heroes in danger from this vile being at least in his mind.

"How delightfully annoying to see another Thanagarian… you remind me of Hawkgirl… or at least she went by that until recent years… oh what was the name… ah Shayera… Shayera Hol Stewart… wife of the former Green Lantern John Stewart…"

Hawkman's surprise at the revelation had given her an opening except his distraction had given someone else opportunity to make a strike. Artemis catapults into the air kicking Circe square in the stomach. Circe tumbles to the ground and then Artemis is advancing towards her again with Hawkman. His demeanor is almost as angry as the one worn by Artemis, but she had seen that she struck a nerve with him. He tries to stab at her except she rolls then gets back to hovering before disappearing in a blinding glow. Both Artemis and Hawkman grumble then look back towards the one sided fight between Bruce and Batman.

"How are we to reverse that?" quips Hawkman.

Fate and Inza emerge from Fate's call sign of a portal. Inza and Fate together entrap the dark specter of the magically maligned Batman. He struggles with them though Etrigan and Zatanna join hands with Fate and Inza to weaken the spell's grip over the specter's equivalent of a mind. Bruce crumples to the ground in the midst of all this. Dick and Donna help him towards the restrained Batman specter then in a whiplash effect there is another glow before they are left looking at only one man in a Batsuit. There is a sigh on his part for the restoration.

"Who would ever think Batman would be so eager to kill Bruce Wayne…" mumbles Zatanna.

"There was once a time I thought being Bruce had become unnecessary to Batman… during the Justice Lords' reign… I went out less and less as Bruce until the speculation hit all time that 'he' had died at least until it had come out that Bruce Wayne and Batman are both facets of me."

"So who is the real you?"

"Even I don't always have an answer to that one Zanna."

Zatanna attempts to conceal a blush at Bruce calling her Zanna for the first time in years. Etrigan reverts back to Jason and figures not to ask considering this is a past memory for his girlfriend soon-to-be fiancée and his old friend Bruce. The probable destination now is to return to Bana-Mighdall to meet up with the loyalists to Antiope. It means going back to the Sahara Desert for most of them except the Amazons.

* * *

Donna and Artemis travel to Themyscira to approach Hippolyta for help in restoring Antiope to the throne and hopefully the fact Diana's life is in danger through this plot too will incense the Themyscirans to meet this situation head on. She contemplates revealing Diana's pregnancy to their mother, but of course how would their mother react even if she is aware of the fertility brought on by making Diana mortal permanently after restoring her powers after her return.

Donna starts to plummet as she grabs her skull knowing that another glimpse of futures, of realities is being set off, she would pummel Chronos for this if she ever met him or rather met him again. As she falls, Artemis calls out hoping to refocus Donna's unstuck mind. The visions or the glimpses purposely absorb the entire focus of Donna's mind. As she splashes into the water, Artemis is left to dive in after her knowing she have to get to her quickly.

* * *

_A Spartan inspired city rises from the ruins that had once been the original site of the Amazonian home land before the Schism. It is a more militaristic interpretation than even the one kept by the Bana-Mighdall and of course such military driven policies are unfavorable in Themyscira. However neither tribe exists as it had before instead a reunion is made of the two though only by those who would swear loyalty to this new beginning under the auspices of someone masquerading as Princess Diana who is now the Queen. _

_In this future countless Amazons from both tribes are slain during the War of the Tribes including the Queens of both tribes as well as Antiope's chosen successor Artemis. The only one that remains is Diana or rather someone masquerading as her, but of course it could only be Aresia somehow in her body._

_This is a new trick she notes to herself as before she had only been to be aware of what might happen instead of being conscious of some intervening events that could lead to this future. There is also another dislikable quality to this city as there are male slaves here yet something is bound to happen on this day, Donna is uncertain why this day. There is something curious about the fact that she is watching two armored fighters, one female and one male. The female looks every inch the militaristic Amazon whereas the male looks far more slender yet almost entirely in brown and black. _

_Their eyes however are surprisingly identical and then when she hears the voice of the female. Her heart races a little and whispers the name to herself though uncertain if in this future she has that name. As she watches them fight, they are near equals with weapons and in melee combat. It is no doubt due to plenty of training, but who would teach a slave to fight in this way. _

_Another flash brings her to another place where she sees a worn down older man hobbling with a cane and wonders how far into the future this possible future is _yet at the moment is she suddenly torn back to the present looking up at Artemis.

Together they continue towards the walls of Themyscira and of course they welcome Donna yet all keep weapons at the ready once spotting Artemis.

* * *

**Throne Room, Royal Residence, Themyscira**

"Explain why you are in the company of a Bana-Mighdallian," demands Philipus.

"Stay your weapons Sisters especially you Philipus," responds Donna.

Hippolyta arrives with Mala to her left and Venelia to her right.

"Your majesty Queen Hippolyta… I come with a request for assistance from Antiope for a usurper now holds the throne of Bana-Mighdall… one with plans to force a tribal reunion and the end of mankind."

Hippolyta arches her eyebrows in disbelief yet senses no deception on Artemis' part for Antiope's most trusted warrior is the one coming with this request then it must be desperate.

"She speaks the truth… my _Queen_," continues Donna.

The queen and her daughters never acknowledge familial ties publicly, but Artemis recognizes a slight resemblance between Donna and the Fountain's images of Diana that Aresia had briefly shown them days ago plus Donna like Diana has the same eye color as Hippolyta. Blue eyes like the waters that surround this beautiful island. However the island's beauty is offset by having it house the Gates to Tartarus, the Greek variant of the underworld, which is under the auspices of Hades no less.

* * *

Aresia was an outsider taken on as one to be taught the Amazon ways had well and truly broken her word by so violently assuming the throne when she had not proven in the least that she is worthy of holding any authority within the tribe.

As for mothers and daughters, it is not so unlike Antiope's adopted daughter Phthia who had been taken in by Antiope after her Amazonian mother's death whilst living in Man's World, but of course the fate of Phthia's birth mother only fuels the Bana-Mighdall's contempt for mankind. However not even Artemis like Antiope would fall to using a weapon of Man's World to eradicate the gender. The deeper issue is that being near immortal had almost made Amazonians arrogant if not for the occasional humbling acts of mortals, man and woman alike, but often men prove to be a greater surprise.

Artemis relates the error in slaying Aresia's 'attacker' decades earlier for he had taken her into a tiny oasis in the desert in order to cool them both from the grisly heat of the desert. However she had been delirious for days, which appears to confuse and worry the man. The way he had taken to carrying her into the water is mistaken for him trying to drown her. The oasis water had turn a shade of blood red as he had bled out into it and after getting her back to the city, she spent days in recovery until awakening to share the tale of what happen to her homeland.

Artemis' search parties found what is left of the plane and discover that Aresia's mother had died in the crash along with most of the other refugees, but of course the pilot had no way of knowing where exactly he had landed the plane at the time. The decision to kill him had haunted Artemis for years, but she usually pushes it out of mind. As a penance she tried to raise Aresia almost as her own daughter though of course she never did try to replace Aresia's birth mother. She had little idea as to how Aresia had become so clever and misleading because the latter among other traits is not taken as reputable or honorable qualities for an Amazonian.

Hippolyta listens intently to all the developments in Bana-Mighdall with the grooming of Aresia, but of course this Aresia had been violating many rules and traditions that predate the Schism. Her hatred of mankind while not wholly misplaced, it still does not mean she possesses the authority or power to doom mankind alone to extinction with a gender specific virus. Donna's approach the situation is taken as a sign that she is learning the ways of negotiations well and Hippolyta also wishes to speak with her daughter in private in regards to the fact that the renegades had taken Diana.

* * *

**Hippolyta's Chambers, Royal Residence**

"What do you mean pregnant?" gasps Hippolyta.

"It is true Mother… the Goddesses in making her mortal had also given her the ability to sire offspring so long as the male in question loves her without restraint, without restriction, and is honest about it."

"How far along is she?" continues Hippolyta.

"She is in the middle of what they call second trimester, so around five or six months in…"

"There is more isn't there?"

Donna wonders if she should anything about the number and what the newest vision had shown her.

"She carries twins and there is something else I must tell… I can see futures, realities, and one recently shown to me… showed a world where someone… presumably an Amazon rules the planet and I believe I saw the adult forms of the twins except they appear to not know each other…"

She knows it is just a future, not _the_ future, but it is a disturbing glimpse for a future.

"Someone made a point to separate them after birth in the years leading to that future…"

The twins are adults, which makes it impossible to not infer their genders.

"One is female… the other is…"

Donna hesitates to tell what she believes to be the gender of the other twin.

"… Male."

Hippolyta is vaguely aware of Phthia's tale prior to Artemis' tale. The older Amazon recalls that Phthia had a twin, a male twin, yet he had been kept separate from her as well, he gone on to be a great king in his time millennia ago. All the same, the prospect of a repeat troubles her, but of course when there is an echo repeat in history there is often a point to it except a question in mind is how far will this repeat go from here.

"Clearly action must be taken to prevent the deployment of the virus and stop Aresia's plans. Where are the others you were with before bringing Artemis here?"

"They have gone ahead to Bana-Mighdall."

"How could they know where to find it when it is hidden in a manner similar to Themyscira?"

"A servant of Isis, the one called Horus is guiding them to the borders, but beyond that he is forbidden to interfere lest Aresia's supernatural allies discover them prematurely."

"I will send others to aid you if you believe them necessary though I believe they will be if you should experience anymore of these 'visions' in the midst of battle."

"Perhaps someday the tribes can become one again without war as an impetus."

"Perhaps, but for now it is important to restore Antiope to her throne and saving your sister from the fate you have seen for her as well as everyone else including her unborn twins."

The Amazons of Themyscira were not ones to shy away from battle yet they had spent millennia as the gatekeepers for the enchanted doorway that led to the Pits of Tartarus. The domain of Hades, the father of Diana or at least one could allude to the possibility as his more human guise's hair is virtually the same as Diana's. Hippolyta's association with Hades had given her the greatest joy of her near eternal life in the form of a daughter yet her realm would perhaps forever sit atop the domain of Hades, the God that dares to call Diana his daughter even though he is wed to Persephone. However the Gods and Goddesses had often had offspring with those outside the Pantheon.

* * *

**Themis Shipyards, Themyscira**

Several vessels are being brought out for service again after not being put to use since the days during and after the Trojan War when Penthesilea led her people to battle against the Greeks or rather the Argives as the Greek soldiers would call themselves. Of course many already saw the real purpose behind why Agamemnon led his forces to Troy if one was so believing in this war would be fought over a woman instead of Agamemnon looking to dominate city-states beyond the Peloponnesian peninsula. The wars of Man's World had become increasingly destructive since then as in the days of the Trojan War it took almost a decade to break the deadlock, but by then many had been lost to both sides including the anguished yet valiant Hector and the headstrong yet courageous Patroclus.

Penthesilea however had begun to have feelings for Achilles though of course the outcome of their romance would be the real meaning of the phrase Greek tragedy. A recurring theme of history is that wars of the past always lead to wars of the future and so one day another war comes yet plenty ask the same questions once more. However the one that remains eternally without an answer or even an explanation is the one about what led to this war, what are its origins besides the rhetoric and battle cries.

The vessels are meant to depart at nightfall as it would be less exposed for the Themyscirans to set sail under the darker skies. Not all Amazons possess the power of flight as this is a gift of the Gods so in order to keep everyone together they would go by ship. It would be the first time in centuries that Themyscirans sail towards the prospects of war. Amazons from childhood onward are constantly undergoing training to prepare them for battle, but those of Themyscira had not gone to war for a long time. There are however a few exceptions over thousands of years since Troy.

* * *

**Sahara Desert, en route to Bana-Mighdall**

Across the vast waters between Themyscira and Bana-Mighdall, Batman leads the team through the Sahara Desert towards where his captive wife is kept by Aresia. Horus had done all that Isis would allow and so he had to leave them to find the quickest route to the outer dunes of Bana-Mighdall without being seen. Deserts are not unfamiliar to Hawkman or Batman, but for different reasons. Hawkman believing himself the reincarnation of Katar Hol had been in Egypt long ago during a long since forgotten war. As for Batman, his last trek through a desert was years earlier when he had to prevent one of Ra's Al-Ghul plans to remake the world.

There is always someone left to fight and that someone just happens to be Aresia. He fights for more than just the world this time around, but even those who travel with him could see that in him.

Nothing is beyond being possible with everything he had been through between becoming Batman and teaming up repeatedly with a host of costumes in the past decade.

The epics of the past are only sparingly accurate though Diana often made a point to remind him of that years earlier and again more recently after they spent all that time in Italy.

He would not allow her to come to any harm not so as long he could still draw breath yet they would have to camp until dusk as it will eventually grow to hot to press onward despite how much they had in the way of supplies. Nobody argues with him over the wait as they neither like the humidity nor the prospect of arguing with Batman. Most didn't have to be J'onn to guess why it is more than advisable to avoid arguing with Batman especially with the lives at stake in particular for him.

As the sun finally starts to descend, Batman emerges from a makeshift tent to notice the others all standing there as if waiting for his reappearance after he had taken leave of them to head into his tent and even he could not refrain from smiling just a little.

"Pack it in, we need to get moving five minutes ago," orders Batman.

The gear is put away as they ready the horses after taking them to a nearby oasis, which are few and hard to find in the desert naturally. Batman mounts a horse that mirrors his costume, but this is not on purpose as all the horses are equally dark in appearance. Hawkman elects to fly as he would have to be their eyes in the sky. There is an unmistakable serenity to the desert at night yet it is unlikely that their passage goes unnoticed by their enemies at Bana-Mighdall. Circe's appearance had set them back some yet the aid of Horus got them back on track. He had taken them as far as Cairo then given them a direction to take in order to cross the barrier that shields the hidden city from prying eyes.

As they gallop across the sands, it causes Bruce to think of the stories from Arabian Nights. Not even storytelling could stave off whatever Aresia intends to do with Diana and he had already seen what some would undertake to accomplish a master plan. There is a faint touch of moonlight casting soft shadows upon the sands. The air makes faint ripples as each passes through the barrier and realize before long the Bana-Mighdallians would make a reprisal or not for this 'incursion'. Batman expects opposition and Bruce knows it will be another of his darkest hours in the search to reclaim his future.

Like Achilles he would make the first strike against enemy lines yet like Hector he would be doing it for wife as well as the lives that dwell within her. There is much in mind that begins with a dark alleyway that gather upon him like all the memories that come after him in his nightmares and he refuses to allow her to join their numbers. The other riders with him realize what drives him though not nearly as well as he does for why else hide so much of his face behind a mask, he need not look at his reflection to know what the mask or rather the cowl represents when facing this situation.

* * *

**The Dungeon, The Royal Palace, Bana-Mighdall**

Diana awakens in modestly comfortable surroundings yet she knows she is a prisoner of the Bana-Mighdall though what had given them away were both their accent and their stance when they had come for her in Hokkaido. She could feel her twins kicking unless she misunderstood the concept of feeling a baby kick in the womb and being pregnant continues to affirm her belief that she is forgiven for the mistakes of the past even though those same mistakes go unforgotten. Memory is the price of forgiveness to her. She sees the one that led her captors to Hokkaido and it made her angrier than before especially after she saw how they hurt Bruce from a distance. They had caught her and Bruce off guard though that would not happen again even if she is still carrying the twins inside her so she had to protect them for this is what mothers do their children.

"All that was once Themysciran and Bana-Mighdallian shall again be one except under my rule so the queens of the divided nation must accede and step aside," asserts Aresia.

"Mother and Antiope will not bow down to you. Antiope's people have given you a place, a heritage, and more so this is how you repay their kindness? By turning on them?" retorts Diana.

"I am grateful for all that, but the Amazons cannot retain their hidden sanctuaries unseen forever. We must make ourselves to be a race to be feared, to be reckoned with, and we cannot do that divided as we are!" snaps Aresia.

"It hardly seems like gratitude to me. You think yourself a better woman for the role of leader, but you lack the disposition among other qualities to be a leader at your age. Those who do become queens do not do so easily, they often spend their whole lives wrestling with the responsibilities."

"I have plenty of time to learn, but in the mean time those that rule now must stand aside."

"They won't do that, you are unfit to rule and whatever your intentions by holding me here, I assure you my sisters won't sit by idle once they know I am here!"

"I am counting on that and my observers already tell me that your husband is on his way too!"

Diana smirks knowingly at the word that Bruce as Batman is coming for her.

"Then you are in more trouble than you know Pretender!"

"My name is Aresia, future Queen of the Amazons… all that could have been yours will now be mine!"

"What are you rambling about now?"

"Prepare her for the transfer!"

It takes six Bana-Mighdallians carrying special ropes made from the same material as Diana's lasso to bring her along to the chambers where the transfer ritual is set to be done and they prepare to lash her down. Diana attempts to resist that attempt by throwing half her jailers in one direction or another, but more appear with ropes to bring her down. She curses at them for what they are doing to her. She can't believe so many would betray their queen for someone like Aresia, but then there is little to change the opinions of those who do not think often enough for themselves so feed clever words. Then you can own their allegiance, which is what Aresia had done with these women.

The altar table pivots upward until Diana finds herself face to face with the body they are switching her into, and it is the body of the woman she hates in particular right now, the body of her abductor, the body of Aresia no less. Diana pulls at all the restraints, but to no avail now.

_Hera, help me! I cannot allow this woman to harm my little sun and star!_

"Your Gods cannot hear you here! We made sure of that!" quips Aresia.

"You weren't born Amazon! You were adopted by the tribe!" hisses Diana.

"True, but none can deny me with your body Diana!" cracks Aresia.

Diana continues to wrestle with her restraints as the ritual is beginning and both bodies settle into place as the transference begins with streams of light passing between the two bodies. It is only a matter of time before it is complete though as for how reversible is another question entirely. On the inside, Diana fights with all her mental stamina, but then she senses three other presences within her mind. One of them is clearly Aresia, but the other two are at first unfamiliar.

_Use our strength together with yours Mother._

Outwardly tears stream down Diana's face and inwardly she takes hold of the ethereal essence of her unborn twins drawing strength from them as she lends her own to them. Together they are holding against Aresia, but even Diana suspects this tactic will not hold back the transference indefinitely as well as the worry that using their strength would harm them. Harm in the sense that when Aresia gets into her body that they might be in greater danger though she would have to deal with that later.

* * *

**Batman's Team, near Bana-Mighdall **

"Here they come now!" shouts Hawkman.

The Bana-Mighdallians converge on them on horseback and so the fight begins.

"Kill the interlopers!"

Batman recognizes the armor style as comparable to the Virago who were at best thought of a myth, but then all myths all had some basis in reality so why not the Virago too. They were after warrior women similar to the Amazons and he had more than plenty of proof as to the existence of Amazons. He is after all the husband of one now and for that reason among others she would not face this challenge to her life without him there to help her.

"You are a fool to come here. We will not be beaten by the likes of you!"

"Now where haven't I heard that before?" retorts Batman.

"It'll take more than a witty response to save your hide dark one!"

"I am Batman!" quips Batman.

"Makes no difference to me, you are still just a man who dresses like a bat!"

She swings at him with her traditional weapon of choice except it connects with his gauntlet on the way towards his shoulder. He launches himself off his horse towards her, which knocks both of them to the sand. This takes her by surprise no one except Artemis had ever unseated her from the saddle so quickly. She rolls away from Batman and slides her sword back in its scabbard before pulling out her shorter blades yet Batman uses his gauntlets to block them. He also side steps and pivots away from her always three moves ahead of her next attack.

"Clearly you know how to fight one on one… let us see if you can handle more… sisters… here my call!"

Batman now finds he is facing not just one, but now six Bana-Mighdallians. The one he fought to begin with leads the charge and so he pays the most attention to her as she angles her blade downward looking to take off his utility belt except he does the unconventional as always. He runs up her blade as it turns downward. This move takes the other five by surprise and he lands beyond them. He whips out and throws six stun batarangs. The leader still off guard from his agility topples when it shocks her through her armor though because the armor is made from metal it absorbs then release the stun charge quickly. Only two of the others move out of the way in time and then they charge at him except Hawkman plows into one of the two while the other is comes into headlong contact with Etrigan, which shocks the younger woman who had never seen a demon looking opponent in her life.

The fight is not over yet as more riders come from a distance to join the ones they just fought and the fact that advance group had lost to the 'interlopers' made them angrier than before.

"They are going to make us fight for every grain of sand we advance across from this point onward. All the same you know why we are here now and they simple know we are here," says Batman.

He, Etrigan, and Kyle initiate a triangle formation as another group of Bana-Mighdallians encircle them. Zatanna uses spells to turn weapons into harmless looking objects, which is infuriating to the Bana-Mighdallians to say the least. As for Hawkman he continues swooping in and out whilst smashing the enemy Amazonian's shields, which hold up considerably well to the mystical properties of Nth metal. The numbers stand against them for the moment, but all they could do is hope that Artemis and Donna return soon, perhaps with Themysciran reinforcements if they got that lucky. The Bana-Mighdallian ranks continue to surge with each squad that they break through, which is to be expected yet without Artemis they had no way to contact Antiope's supporters.

"I don't know how much longer we can keep pushing forward before they completely wear us down. We need help, but the comlinks don't work within the barrier that protects the sands surround Bana-Mighdall," says Zatanna.

* * *

**Themysciran Fleet, The Mediterranean Sea**

Donna stands on the deck of the Themysciran flagship alongside Artemis.

"There is something romantic about being out here on the seas, to sail off to battle, but mostly I am here leading this fleet because of Diana, because of her unborn twins, and all the futures I intend to prevent by helping Batman save her," murmurs Donna softly.

"She matters that much to you? All that trouble just to restore her to her husband? How often have men been a disappointment to our people? Too often I'd say, but yes I made a mistake killing the man that saved Aresia, but she continues to hold onto the resentment she holds for mankind," remarks Artemis.

"They have been through much together and apart, but all the same, she chose him, every time an Amazonian falls in love with a mortal man, it is her decision to leave the island to be with him. I'll admit things did not turn out well for Penthesilea, but you cannot hold the whole of mankind accountable for all their past mistakes."

"I know that Donna, but still men have hurt us on and off for millennia yet few of us still dare to trust a man with that which is most sacred to us… our hearts and by extension of our bodies should we have children with them… though doing so means we have given up part of what we are."

"Becoming mothers doesn't mean we stop being warriors for our children will need protection and later training, certainly might say better to train the children among the mother's people, but what happens if the child is male? Is he forbidden from knowing his Amazonian heritage?"

"Rare is that an Amazonian sires any children, let alone a male.'

"Diana will have twins, a girl and a boy, which is the first time in millennia that an Amazon has done so."

"The last time historically was Phthia and her twin, but even then events did not unfold in ways many had prayed for to be the outcome."

Donna grips the railing as her head starts to pound, but not because of a vision, no something much different and in one way worse than a vision. She feels her lips moving, but someone else is speaking through her, she tries to stop it though to no avail.

"Hello Artemis, I know I sound like Donna, but I am not Donna, you would know me better as the one who will rule the Amazons with the deaths of those who lead the tribes separately at present. I have taken control of the Themysciran bloodline through the first daughter, through Diana."

"Release Donna you treacherous usurper or you'll regret whatever your next trick is!"

"You wouldn't harm Donna's body, that would turn all these Themyscirans against you and you do need them to reach me, but you won't even get close, not with my loyalists waiting for you since I now know where you are coming from."

Donna's hands grip her skull just as the connection between Aresia and Donna severs for the time being.

"Donna, are you okay?" asks Artemis softly.

"I'll be once we get my sister back and restore Antiope to her rightful place while taking care of that sickening perversion that dares to call herself a true Amazon!" hisses Donna.

"How did she get into your mind let alone control your body?"

"There is a link between me and Diana. It is how we know the other is in danger or in some cases experiencing other forms of extreme feelings or sensations as well."

"So Aresia used that?"

"Yes, because she intends to body swap with Diana and it is starting to work if she was able to tap the link so we are indeed running out of time to stop the transference. I don't know how to reverse it, but I am certain we would find a way if it comes to that."

Donna heads to the steering wheel, she grips it tightly, and then a signal is sent ordering the ships align into a tight formation.

"Oh mighty Poseidon, we beseech you to speed us across the sea towards the coast that borders the Nile River so that we might bring ourselves closer to the battle that we must fight for sake of the world and for those that honor your pantheon above all others with the gifts given to us by your family!"

The winds pick up and so their journey is given a boost by the winds while water with greater ease beneath the Themysciran fleet. It appears Poseidon is feeling gracious this night.

* * *

**The Dungeon, The Royal Palace, Bana-Mighdall**

_Father is coming Mother, just hold on, but he is not coming alone. Donna is leading the others._

Diana wrestles about in her restraints, but it grows harder to retain her hold on her own body because it feels like it is slipping away from her as she is starting to see her own face instead of Aresia's. She feels the twins separating from her as she starts to see more through Aresia's eyes.

_You won't take my children from me you maniac!_

_All that is yours Princess shall become mine and mine it is destine to be!_

_Not while I still draw breath, I shall resist your attempt to usurp my body from me!_

_You have seen how much effect your efforts have had so far!_

_I have come too far to have it all undone by the likes of you!_

_Such is your pride Diana, you have given up too much for a man though I never will, and never in my life shall I ever depend on a man to save my life!_

_In the words of my winged friend, don't knock it 'til you have tried it!_

_You didn't see men murder your entire family save your mother and you then you didn't survive a plane crash only to learn you were the only survivor!_

_My husband saw his parents murdered in front of him as a child and that is part of why he went onto become Batman as well as why he seeks to breach these walls._

_He might understand why I have to do this then, but then he would view me as the criminal as I am taking your body for my own._

_In time you could become a great warrior on your own abilities, you don't need my body or force the tribes back together for that._

_It is too late, I am in too deep and I am not turning back from this. My decision is made and I have lost enough ground in your mind listening to your paltry defense hidden in attempts at sympathy!_

_It is never too late and doing all this will not make you happy. I have already been down a road like this one. Thinking I knew what was best for the world when I was one of the Justice Lords._

_You were a fool to give that up as I already said and now you weaken yourself further by carrying the children of a man._

_It was my monumental misstep and my life is better for all that has happen since then. If you cannot see the path I have taken as I have than you are lost to a hatred for an unchangeable past._

_I will remake this world, and begin a future under the reign of true Amazon warriors led by me._

_They will not follow you, not all of them, and certainly not those from Themyscira._

_I would not be as sure of your belief in them as many of the Bana-Mighdallians are on my side._

_You divide an already divided civilization that split apart over a long ago war where my mother and Antiope lost a dear sister, but that sister made her decision to stay with a man who loved her in a way only a man can love a woman. We are warriors born yes, we are sisters by following the beliefs of what it means to be Amazon, but we rarely know what it means to be lovers or for that matter mothers._

_I am afraid you have lost the battle of the minds Diana so forever shall you see the world through my eyes and your future now belongs to me as I set out to begin the Reunification!_

Aresia-in-Diana is cut loose by the attendants overseeing the transfer while the guards remain with Diana-in-Aresia.

"No, this cannot be, you don't see what she has done? Do you find nothing wrong with this? She has taken my body and my unborn children from me!" yells Diana-in-Aresia.

"You did not deserve to keep that which you could not retain and your progeny will be the heirs to a reunified Amazonian nation."

* * *

**Themysciran Fleet, Mediterranean Sea  
**

"How far are we from the Nile?" asks Donna.

"A few hours more even with Poseidon's help," answers Artemis.

Donna doubles over in pain.

"What is the matter Donna?"

"Diana… the link… she lost the mental fight with Aresia… the link is still there, but now I only sense Aresia. She is trying to get to me through it, but I can hold her for now though not for long."

The Themysciran fleet had already made more than halfway across the sea to the waters north of Africa, but still Aresia had more than two days head start on them. Artemis could only hope the men were closer rather than further from the walls of Bana-Mighdall. Artemis begins to pray to Isis for assistance, but considers it might be in vain though a further supernatural boost would greatly aid their cause, but the question remains how far Isis would go at the risk of drawing attention to herself from the other Goddesses including Hathor. Hathor would rarely court favors, but Isis' limits had come from being the wife of Osiris, if one could imagine such limits existing for those of a supernatural realm.

Hathor exists as a relative counterpart to Hera, but then this compulsion by the sciences and studies of archaeology compel this notion to find more comparisons over contrasts in the societies that exist on Earth. The common ground cannot be forced upon the world, those of the world must find it in themselves and in others, but all the while people turn on people yet in the midst of all that others still manage to find meaning as well as purpose. This however only comes to those who find it without searching for it. Artemis found it strange to find wisdom so well when away from all that is familiar yet perhaps that might be the point.

_"You already have Poseidon lending you the winds. Why do you need assistance from me Artemis? Is his help not enough?"_ queries Isis.

_"I did not expect you to come or even hear me,"_ answers Artemis.

_"You left all that is familiar to you in order to dare ask for the assistance of your distant sisters in Themyscira so I realize that allowing Sekhmet and Ishtar to so blindly fall into step with Aresia's plans for the tribe that I took in at the risk of Hathor's wrath. However she was lenient for she too had seen what happen to Penthesilea and how it divided the Amazons at a critical time,"_ continues Isis.

_"We are in her service and yours, but surely you cannot tell me that freely allowing Aresia to do as she would still mean we honor your sanctuary at the cost of what makes us who and what we are."_

_"You will reach the Nile before dawn and from there your journey to your sanctuary city will be equally short though as for how to stop Aresia that is up to you and your allies. You might ask why don't I go further and my answer is this I can interfere in matters of life and death though not in matters of minds and hearts."_

_"I am grateful for whatever you can provide Isis."

* * *

_

As Isis decreed, so it would be, but as always the tasks left to mortals and near immortals would rest with them for even the Gods and Goddesses would not actively interfere in the affairs of life on Earth unless they felt they truly had to do so. It almost did seem hard to believe that some ancient primordial battle was fought on the very same sands where Bana-Mighdall stands now.

* * *

"We have another problem ahead of us now Artemis," says Donna weakly.

"What could it be?" murmurs Artemis.

A fleet sent against theirs from the waters to the south and they carry the banner she had briefly seen Aresia's supporters use, which meant Aresia had somehow found a way to track them, maybe even through Donna's psychic link to Diana.

"All hands to battle stations!" commands Artemis.

"I must continue ahead without the fleet. My being here endangers the defense against them."

"These ships will only heed my commands if they believe they come from you and if you leave I don't know how they respond to my commands. We'll break through and reach Diana in time… now help me win this battle we need each other to get through this."

"You are right, but I am afraid."

"We are all afraid here, but it is time to face our fears together."

Donna weakly smiles and turns her attention to the flagship's crew.

"We do this not just for Themyscira or for the rightful ruler of Bana-Mighdall, but for the lives of all Amazons even if they fight against us tonight. We also do it for my sister and her comrades who await our support to restore the balance!" shouts Donna.

"You heard her. Now we sail to battle!"

Vessels from both sides come into close quarters' contact and the deck fights ensue shortly after.

_You will not take the hard earned redemption from my sister nor will you rob her of the happiness that has long eluded her. Furthermore you will not steal from her the children within her made from his love of her._

_Bold words little one, but your big sister will be among the dead before you make it to my city and the same goes for her dark knight though I shall enjoy watching him die in my grip so the last thing he sees is her face while I use her hands to end him._

_You will not find him an easy opponent, he has been through worse than you and he is not alone._

_We shall see, but I believe you are wrong._

[+++]

**Bana-Mighdall, City's Outer Edge**

Batman's team finally makes it over the walls yet there are still the defenders that stand ready to repel them if not for Antiope's loyalists who arrive to open the way for them. Antiope herself is on hand leading them as well.

"Welcome to Bana-Mighdall Dark Knight!" calls Antiope.

"Thank you for the invitation Your Highness!" replies Batman.

"You remind me of Leonidas as you lead your forces from the front, not on high like the nefarious Xerxes."

"You make quite a comparison linking me to him."

"I don't make them lightly and while you are here to see that I win this attempt to retake my throne, I know in your heart you are here for Diana…"

Antiope and Batman charge into the fray side by side.

"Few men in history ever go so far for the women they love… like Hector you are here not just for her, but for your future in her… like Achilles you prize love's passion over the heat of battle like Achilles."

Batman uses his glove gauntlets to block the sword strikes of the enemies.

"Above all else I intend that she not share the fate of several Amazons who had given up their place in your world for a place in Man's World."

"I know that too Batman. I like Hippolyta took Penthesilea's demise hard, but then neither of us understood love in that way. Hippolyta made her turn against love more so after the birth of Diana, but then she saw much of Hades in you though her mind has changed much since that assessment."

"Glad to hear that in some ways, but even darkness has a light, she has become mine."

"For my throne and your light then!" yells Antiope.

The battle for Bana-Mighdall is only beginning and the Themyscirans are kept back by a ship-to-ship fight only miles from the mouth of the Nile.

[+++]

**The Tower Terrace, The Royal Palace**

"Now mankind's downfall begins with the launch of these devices into the air that shall carry out the end of men and pass the torch of life's endurance to women," commands Aresia-in-Diana.

Diana-in-Aresia tackles Aresia-in-Diana, which sends both women sliding across the cobblestone balcony towards the edge of it.

"You risk your precious twins to stop me?"

"You would leverage them against me?"

"Men never fought fair when they took my family, when they hurt the Amazons in centuries past, so why should that matter to you?"

"Mankind has made infinite mistakes, but they are still mortal, some have shown they are learning while others prove that there are still those among men that could end us all. You would end their chance for redemption in the name of preventing the existence of more like those who killed your family?"

"I am doing this for more than myself. I do it so that Amazons will no longer have to deal with men ever again."

"Who are you to decide that traitor?"

"If anyone is a traitor in this moment, it is you, the weapons of men are not ours and that is what these devices are… you use them and you violate all that any Amazon holds dear!"

"Launch them now my followers!"

The devices rocket away from Bana-Mighdall and Diana-in-Aresia realizes she cannot fly off after them. In Aresia's body she lacks the power of flight, which is infuriating on some level.

"You are no better than the men that killed your family. You had a father did you not? What about brothers and sisters? You realize how many billions of lives you will ruin with those things? Women of all ages will one day resent this and you doom them to be the last of humanity with those things!"

"Then they are unfit to inherit the legacy of the Amazon nation!"

"Only you would deal in absolutes… you are no Amazon!"

"Condemn me all you want, but I am the future… ugh… the pain… what is this?"

Aresia-in-Diana falls to her knees and looks to truly be in pain.

"You see what you have done now? My little sun… you have condemned him to death!"

"He would be a man and this is no longer… uh… a world for them!"

"Still you cling to this… don't you have an antidote for this… I won't let you let him die just because you think he should be dead…"

"Remove her, she's to be put to the death… I only need one heir and the girl is destined for that role!"

The followers drag Diana-in-Aresia away.

"You b…"

One of the followers' decks Diana-in-Aresia and the blow is hard enough to knock her out before she could finish a rather deserved expletive.

"Her husband will join her in death… find him… kill them together," orders Aresia-in-Diana.

One device was intentionally detonated over Bana-Mighdall to ensure that the male 'interlopers' would perish in their fool's errand.

"The world will change and the end of mankind shall herald it!"

* * *

A/N 1: Last chapter left the heroes in a dire predicament and it scarcely improves much in this chapter too. Batman experiences a temporary physical split thanks to Circe, but this is quickly reversed with some magical help no less though it takes four Homo Magi to achieve this time.

A/N 2: Aresia's genocidal gamble goes forward as does the other part of her plan, which involves body swapping with Diana. However both Diana and her unborn twins resist in their own way. Ultimately the switch appears a success with a further consequence, which is quite apparent.

A/N 3: Batman fighting Amazons? I know that does sound believable, but if you'll recall he managed to throw Superman across the room when they first met in StAS **World's Finest** and he has also trained with an untold number of marital arts masters over the world. Enemies always underestimate him even when they think they know how to beat him.

A/N 4: Plenty of historic/mythological names thrown into the mix. Happiness is not easily found or easily kept, but Batman is more than willing to fight for it and so is Diana. The others are along to back them up for they too have their own stake in helping the couple though not all known Diana is pregnant. Batman still keeps secrets, but then he has always kept them, it is just his way at times.


	30. Full Circle

The Trojan parallels are all too familiar to the Amazon survivors from that long ago war yet that conflict as well as what men did to them before the war lies at the heart of the Schism that leaves them still on opposite sides in the war for the future at hand. Some like Batman persist because he cannot give up and others like Aresia believe mankind's time is up.

Batman struggles against blurring vision, against head pains, against the feeling like his insides are being torn apart, and enemy Amazons are still charging at him. The vapor trails alerts him to the recent launches. If that is true then they had another problem that couldn't be dealt with here especially if it goes beyond the barrier.

His attackers notice his movements are slowing and becoming almost sluggish. They didn't know he and the other men are now literally dying, but not from battle with them. He drops to his knees because as determined as he is, his body can only fight off enemies for so long because he is neither invulnerable nor can his body heal itself. He sees the Royal Palace in the distance and someone's back to him atop its highest overhang of a balcony. Perhaps it is almost better that he cannot see who is responsible for what could kill him especially given the face that she wears to perform this role. He had come too far to fail Diana and their twins.

"You have fought well, now accept your fate, no dishonor in a battlefield death, but you and your allies have no right to interfere with the inevitable," says Grace.

"You have no idea what your leader is really up to do you?" quivers Batman weakly.

"She leads us to the Reunification of the Tribes separate since the Schism," answers Grace.

"Right, do you have any idea who will die for that delusion?" continues Batman.

"Those who must die if they stand in the way of the future," replies Grace.

"Even if it means genocide?" asks Batman.

"What could you possibly mean by that? Amazons aren't mass murderers!" retorts Grace.

"Look around you, look at the men that came with me. You notice any similarities besides the gender!"

She frowns realizing the truth of his words.

"Hold!" orders Grace.

"What are you saying?" snaps Livia.

"These men are ill. They are dying from something other than their wounds."

"Why does that matter? Aresia will rid of us of the evils of mankind. If they die in battle despite being sick, I have no misgivings," hisses Livia.

"What about the wives that must watch their husbands die, the mothers that see their sons slip away, and much more such as those with child or children who lose the life inside to a disease that murders the unborn?" rebukes Batman.

"He's right… you must see this at least my sisters… I wanted our people to be reunited, but not over the bodies of billions dead simply for one woman's hatred of men who murdered her family. I believed we needed different leadership, but this prospect is too grim even for me… who will help me carry him?"

Down the street advances a wall of Themyscirans led by Artemis and Donna.

"Diana?" groans Batman.

Donna flies down the street to the dying Batman.

"It is only me Donna," apologizes Donna.

"My mistake, you two look so alike," murmurs Bruce.

"What's happening to him? To them?" exclaims Artemis.

"Gender specific disease, she must have set one off over city because of us," answers Bruce.

"It is not your fault… come let us get you back to Diana… those who are with me, with us, we still have a captive sister to reclaim and her unborn twins," continues Donna.

"She's pregnant… but that's unheard of… no Amazon has been with child in centuries," interjects Livia.

"My older sister Diana is pregnant… with this warrior's… this man's children… such an event is linked to the promise that the Goddesses made to her after she was one of the Justice Lords," responds Donna.

"We know that last fact, that she was one of those Justice Lords, but not the rest," confesses Grace.

"It took a long time for her to reclaim that which she had forsaken to follow the misguided extremes of safeguarding the world from the evils of humanity."

If there is anything Donna still retains from her link to Diana – it is Diana's gift for words.

"Can you not see the path that Aresia is leading our people to by doing this?" says Donna.

Donna's attempt to dissuade the bloodthirsty supporters of Aresia wins over some, but not all.

"Heed her words at your own peril," snaps Callisto.

Weapons are drawn, armored warriors position themselves, and soon sister battles sister.

"It appears we are at a divide. All of you pick your side or get out my way," Artemis declares.

Artemis is no longer in the mood for side shifting oratory. As gifted Donna may be with words, the time for words is over in her mind. The foundation of Amazonian ideals pivots against Aresia's genocidal tactics, as to which shall prevail, that rests on the shoulders of those who fight here and elsewhere.

She joins with Antiope and those who fought with Antiope to reverse the tide of battle while Callisto and those still staunchly loyal to Aresia stand their ground. Themyscirans follow Antiope's lead at Hippolyta's decree that they follow the Bana-Mighdallian Queen as they would their own. The Schism weighs upon much of the division between the tribes, but right now there is something more dangerous than the legacy of the Trojan War threatening to drive a further wedge between the Amazons.

The wedge is the consequences of having a hand in the end of mankind. As much as any Amazon distrusts men, it is still not their place to rob from women what gives them much of their happiness aside from whatever work they labor over outside partnership and motherhood.

Donna picks up Batman then bolts into the air with him pushing himself to stay conscious. He clearly hates being struck down by something from the inside. The only hope for those already ill is that a cure can be made in time to save him, his unborn son, and countless more. Otherwise all futures will not be worth living to see simply because it would mean the end of everything many hold dear to their hearts. It would be double grief for Diana should Bruce and her little sun be killed by this whereas for Donna she would have to deal with a world without Kyle.

Also having already been to one of the bleaker futures imaginable, she could not allow such another such future to be a reality when she could still prevent it.

* * *

Shayera, Supergirl, Stargirl, Fire, Doctor Light and every other flight capable female Watcher takes to the skies seeking out the pathogen missiles. Even with a formidable number to call to the line, they still did not have enough to block all the missiles. Wherever it goes off, it will eventually spread so it becomes all the more important to track down a method to synthesize an antidote for mass production and deployment. Until then everyone else is on standby especially in the event that the disease spreads with a vengeance.

In a surprising turn, many female villains appear in the skies near the shorthanded Watchers.

Supergirl is met by Galatea. Fire faces Volcana. Stargirl finds Queen Bee floating next to her. Doctor Light encounters Silver Banshee and as for Shayera there is Star Sapphire. The five women are in completely different regions so how these five found where they were remains

"Oracle – I have got company," chirps Kara.

"_Who do you see?"_ queries Barbara.

"Galatea is back in action," answers Kara.

"_This is not good… we have to learn her intentions just the same."_

"Right – I am not up here to fight her again… "

Galatea flies towards her genetic progenitor.

"I'm not here to fight you despite how much I want to pay you back for Metropolis and Central City."

"We have got a bigger problem – those missiles – surely you have seen them too."

"Yes – _we_ know all about them."

"Who exactly is that?"

"I don't have to tell you anything… the decision was made to assist you once a pattern was found in your deployment across the globe. We detected the missile launches by radar and satellites."

"Sounds like you are still well connected."

"We have to be given what is happening right now."

"Guess we call this a truce."

"It is something like that."

The first wave of missiles are drawing closer to them so they go supersonic to intercept them then force the first two to a higher attitude only after ripping out the guidance system. Together they repeat this pattern with every pair of missiles they tear into over North America.

* * *

Meanwhile over South America the blistering Brazilian known as Fire has a similar conversation with Volcana who as anyone last knew was incapable of flight.

"How is that you can fly now?" wonders Fire.

"Let's say fringe benefits include power augmentation," responds Volcana.

"It must come in handy aside from the obvious rush of being a pyrokinetic."

"You would know since you have both Beatriz."

"Indeed… so let's say we smoke the missiles."

"You know me I love fireworks and light shows."

Together the flying pyrokinetics incinerate the inbound missiles, which in effect chemically dissolve the payload. They keep at it with each wave they encounter, but even they have limits. However they intend to destroy as many as possible. Fire is just glad she does not have to cover an entire continent on her own especially not the one where her beloved Brazil looks to the sky for their flame. As for what motivates Volcana that is yet to be seen though for the moment it doesn't seem important least of all to Fire.

Farther to the west over Asia, Doctor Light and Silver Banshee are using a mix of photonic and sonic frequencies to short-circuit the missiles' guidance system. The malfunctions cause the missiles to smash into each other. Under other circumstances their encounter over Asia could have lead to a fight yet for now the mission takes priority.

Stargirl and Queen Bee are busy hammering away at missiles over Africa by way of breaking them into halves. The halves carrying the disease inside them are then thrown higher by Stargirl who uses her staff to coil an energy bind around them. It is strain to do this though for now there appears no other way to disable them without leaving to fall to the surface because impact might still rupture the missile.

Shayera and Star Sapphire lash out the missiles that are coming for Europe.

"I wouldn't have expected to see you here Star Sapphire," comments Shayera.

"Just because we have been enemies in the past doesn't mean I like the idea that someone is trying to kill all the men in the world. Plenty have been bad, but there are exceptions."

"Yes there are… they are why I am up here… aside from what you just said."

"I met someone… of course he is willing to risk his neck to help destroy the missiles too."

"He must be a stubborn guy."

"He is on your team too."

"Who is he?"

"He is Justin… y'know… the _Shining Knight_."

"You and Shining Knight… a man like him could change anyone's attitude once they push aside disbelief in his chivalry."

"He's been a lot better to me than all the egoists I have been involved with. He seems too pure for me, but when you love someone you look for the better in them."

"That's in the past... here's to making a future with those who have earned their place in our lives."

"Let's just wipe out the missiles and save the mush for later."

"Agreed… I just got caught up in the moment."

"I know that… I just prefer to put an end to this madness quickly."

Back in Africa, Stargirl and Queen Bee find they have backing from Giganta who is using her size changing ability to become tall enough to crush the ones that slip by them.

Supergirl and Galatea gain backup from Mera and female Atlanteans. Atlantean warships open fire on the missiles from the ocean surface. Neither Argoan is about to question help from Atlantis though the only reason to know its Mera is that the queen is riding one of the open rider hovercraft. Together they continue to strafe the inbound missiles and send them rocketing too high to have the intended effect on detonation.

Starfire and Raven materialize over South America not far from Fire and Volcana. The fire ladies are still busy burning away at the inbound missiles so the newcomers lend their firepower to the ones already up here. Fire notes their arrival with a faint smile and even these two pyrokinetics would need a reprieve. The only problem is that the size of Aresia's missile stockpile defies explanation.

Shayera can't exactly believe what she is seeing slashing away at the missiles, but the newcomers are armored warriors on flying horses similar to Justin's Pegasus.

"Who are they?" asks Star Sapphire.

"Good question though I'll let them tell us when they are ready to talk," remarks Shayera.

If Shayera remembers right from Earth's mythology, the closest explanation to these new allies would be the Valkyrie, but usually they are there to deliver the honored dead to Valhalla.

"You wouldn't happen to be the Valkyrie?" asks Shayera.

"You are correctly informed," responds Brunhilde.

"So how many Pantheons are actually still active?" wonders Star Sapphire.

"More than is generally known, but we all tend to prefer it that way though we serve the Asgardians as we were chosen by Odin long ago. It is however Sif who told us we must aid Midgard once more."

"Midgard?" murmurs Star Sapphire

"It is another name for Earth, the one used by the Gods of Asgard," asserts Shayera.

"It appears more knowledge of our ways has survived to modern times than we thought."

"Batman's libraries go beyond informative."

"He sounds like a wise mortal."

"Not to cut this short, but we still have missiles coming our way."

One had to wonder how Aresia amassed such a stockpile yet who is to say they didn't have help from a supernatural source to that end – like a God or Goddess of War. Shayera would have to consult Batman as to the identity of Aresia's supernatural 'allies' though like many things it could wait until the missiles were no longer an issue except it appears this would take longer than they all thought it would.

* * *

Diana-in-Aresia awakens to the sounds of battle above her so it appears that Batman had come as she felt he would though she could only hope that he'd believe her when he finds her in this body instead of her very pregnant body now being used by Aresia.

"Diana?" calls Donna.

"I'm down here in the dungeon… is Batman with you?" responds Diana-in-Aresia.

"Yes and no… I'll explain once we reach you… I know you are not quite yourself either."

"You felt it through our link didn't you?"

"Yes I did and she used it to find me as well as the reinforcements Mother sent with me."

"I trust this did not impede your odyssey for long."

"No – it did not – we have a further problem, which I am sure you know of by now."

"Aresia's biological weapons – she already launched them some time ago."

Diana refrains from gasping at the sight of a feverish Batman now limp in Donna's arms.

"All the other men that came with him are like this and I can only hope that someone outside this city has taken care to destroy those missiles before they can harm anyone else."

"We must hurry then… he's dying. So is our unborn son as even wombs are vulnerable."

Donna places the unconscious Batman on the ground and proceeds to rip the cell door off its hinges.

"I tried to push the door off myself, but it appears Aresia doesn't have the same physical strength as the rest of us – that or something else is making me feel as depowered as the night the Achilles' disruptor beam first hit me."

"Either way we need to return you to your body especially if your twins are to survive… more than just an antidote is need … they are in _**need**_ their mother too."

Diana sniffles and tears stream down Aresia's face.

"It feels like this body has never cried before."

"Maybe she has though not in a very long time."

Diana-in-Aresia kneels next to her husband and father of her twins.

"Bruce… can you hear me?" she whispers.

"Di…Diana… you sound different."

"Your ears and eyes don't deceive you my love. I am temporarily stuck in her body after she used some manner of transference to switch her consciousness into my body."

"What… how has she done this… to you?"

"I'm not sure, but I will need Inza's help to undo this."

An ankh shaped portal opens nearby to reveal a rather coincidental arrival of Inza Nelson.

"My husband has imparted onto me the necessary incantation to reverse what's happen to you, but the window is shrinking."

"Then we must hurry for to do otherwise would be something I could never live with as her intentions are nothing less than the end of Man."

Donna and Diana-in-Aresia shoulder the weakening Batman between them as Inza follows in their wake.

Artemis and Antiope continue to battle their way through Aresia's supporters yet it is slow going despite the numbers are their side on top of Aresia having very apparent supernatural benefactors such as Sekhmet – Goddess of War. Sekhmet is seen as both counterpart and rival to Ares among the dwindling race known by many names across the world. Isis' herald Horus keeps watch on the battle unable to set aside his disdain for not aiding those who have shown themselves to be the better part of the mortal races that dwell upon the surface.

* * *

"As timeless as we are, we have long since felt our powers waning as fewer still look to us as the Gods they once feared and revered on a daily basis. Just as Ares took great revels in the wars that nearly destroyed the world in centuries past, now shall I surpass him to become the only Goddess of War," declares Sekhmet sharply.

"What of love? Where hath passion fled? I feel its power yet it stands in the shadows of your war cravings from those who still feed centuries old hatreds for that which the world known as the Trojan War. Still remains the war fought between ourselves and those of the outer world who aligned with the banished Titans," interjects Hathor quickly.

Love and War soon find the imbalance between themselves yet in the midst of all this appears Ma'at. Another of their pantheon, a counterpart to Themis, the Goddess who stands for Justice, Ma'at is now fully aware of their scheming so they suspect Isis must know as well if she did not know that plan is already in motion.

"The Twilight of the Gods is that we all fear for it means immortality never equals invincibility."

Sekhmet and Hathor look to Ma'at realizing that her words are true as their alliance springs forth from the fear that being immortal doesn't keep death away. Soon the three find themselves in the presence of the Jackal God, their brother Anubis, and his reappearance signifies that he senses what Aresia has unleashed upon mankind.

"We cannot undo what is happening to us, to humanity, and so it is pointless that even immortals would dare to manipulate forces beyond their control. If we are to end, if humanity is to die, then it shall come to pass, for humanity's salvation rests with whom gods destroy."

The Goddesses are for once unable to counter a sentence, least of all one spoken by Anubis.

* * *

Aresia-in-Diana wipes her nose, it continues to bleed, and so it dawns on her that she could die before seeing her plan done yet her legacy would be Diana's daughter or so she deludes herself as Diana's body weakens from the blood loss. She observes the fighting continues in the streets, but her supporters are losing ground to the Themyscirans and their Bana-Mighdallian allies.

"Damn you Artemis," groans Aresia.

"More like damn you Aresia," snaps Diana.

"Why aren't you dead yet?" quips Aresia.

"You can thank me for that!" adds Donna.

"Sisters to me!" shouts Aresia.

Several bodies thud nearby indicating that they already had overcome Aresia's remaining bodyguards.

"It would seem your only allies left are busy fighting ours in the streets."

"This is not over until I say it is over."

Aresia in her blustering fails to notice Inza sneaking up on her until it is almost too late to knock her backwards yet as she tries both Donna and Diana grab her by the arms.

"Let me go!"

"This has gone on long enough!"

Inza applies the necessary pressure to certain points of the skull as she starts chanting rapidly.

"No!"

Both Aresia's and Diana's bodies convulse as the transference overtakes them. In a matter of moments, both bodies buckle under the shock and Diana's very pregnant body saps into Donna's arms. Aresia's body is caught by Inza after she lets go of Diana's skull.

"She needs to be taken as far away from the epicenter of the pathogen as possible. The same goes for the men."

Inza generates an ankh portal to Fate's Tower. Specifically to the Circle of Power, it is where Kent told her to send Diana after the reverse transference. Once there Dr. Fate examines his wife's handiwork only to find his faith and foreknowledge in Inza is proven right. He then proceeds to magically examine Diana's womb to ascertain the condition of her son. Although it would appear that restoring Diana to her body did the necessary magic to regenerate him. His potential early death appears unlikely yet the same cannot be said for his father who is now in stasis along with other infected heroes.

It clearly pains Diana to see him like this. The elation she felt only hours earlier is now cut down by his motionless form, she and their twins would live, but he could die despite having so much to come back. Diana instead turns her attention to a crying Zatanna who is distraught by what happen to Jason for not even as Etrigan, he is not immune to this. Both while sitting together notice their other female friends likewise share concern for their friends and lovers alike for this leaves them all on a precipice.

* * *

Elsewhere around the world, the pathogen missiles are mostly gone except for the few that got through.

Teams stand ready to deal with the aftermath head-on with the Atom acting as information hub from the Watchers' lunar station. Atom's alter-ego, Professor Ray Palmer, possesses both necessary expertise and experience to undo what could easily be the end of his gender except he must remain out of physical contact with anyone who has it otherwise he'll be in one of those stasis pods. They were already short handed as it was so he could not afford to be out of action.

* * *

**Two Weeks Later**

**Watchers Tower**

**Medical Wing**

Diana presses her hands against Bruce's pod realizing he would have to remain inside until Palmer's medical personnel can mass synthesize a cure. Suddenly Diana feels an intense pain from inside her and so it would seem by remaining in proximity to so many heroes including Bruce she might have caused their son to become infected again. Science and sorcery clash as the pain worsens. She yells for Donna and within seconds her lookalike sister is at her side. She didn't have to ask what's wrong because she could feel it through their bond, the one made between them long ago. Donna picks up her sister with ease and hastens her pace towards the infirmary.

"What happen to her?"

"It would appear that switching them back doesn't mean the pathogen couldn't get back in."

"How is that possible because we all have been around the men since this began?"

"How many others are pregnant?"

"I'll have to check… this about the ones that are having sons right?"

"Yes… the ones with sons… are in danger."

A Z-8 drone walks in then shimmers before resolving to appear as the Atom.

"She got sick again didn't she?"

"How did you guess?"

"It is happening to all the mothers who are expecting sons."

"So what do we do?"

"Pregnant women can't be put in stasis. It just wouldn't work as long as it would for the men."

"You mean you are going to suggest forcing her to give birth?"

"She is nearly six months into her pregnancy."

"They can't be separated from her yet leaving him in there means he'll die in there."

"For now give her something to ease the pain. Donna I'm going to have you consult with your mother or your Gods if possible. Your sister and her offspring are still in danger."

"I can feel it Professor. I have seen too much to allow harm to come to her or her future children."

Donna prepares to pray to the Goddess most tied to fertility and motherhood. For if science cannot prevail in the coming days then they would have to call upon the mercies of a higher power.

* * *

**Smallville - Kent Farm**

Clark receives a video call from Ray. if human science cannot crack this pandemic than they will need Kryptonian science as it is considerably more advanced than anything on Earth. The disease's self-adapting tendencies are disturbing to him because he never seen anything like it.

Clark agrees with Palmer since he understands the urgency to resolve this crisis even when he himself can't actively take part in it because he already heard down the grapevine how it is affecting males only so it would be ill advised to expose himself. However he is the only one besides Kara who knows the way to the Fortress of Solitude that isn't sick at the moment. Of course anyone with Superman like abilities and appearance would draw unwanted attention from certain factions that still resent what he had done during the Justice Lords' 'stewardship'.

The other catch regarding the Fortress is that the Kryptonian Repository of Knowledge is keyed specifically to Clark or rather to Kal-El of Krypton. If there is anything to be found in its archives spanning the 28 known galaxies then only Clark could gain access. For once in years mankind's salvation might rest with a Kryptonian that billions have a reason to hate with a passion. Clark didn't need to be shown video feeds of the two people who still chose to forgive despite him trying to kill them and him trying to provoke them into killing him.

He looks towards Lois and Lara after ending his video phone call with Ray Palmer. Lois looks back to where he is standing only to notice a blur as he zips over to her. He didn't have to explain where or why he is leaving the farm. Sooner or later the hero he used to be would return and today happens to the day that she could quietly say to herself Superman without any trace of disgust that used to linger. As much as she needs him, his friends and enemies need him to do something to help them save humanity. She doesn't need details, somebody would fill her in later, and she could smile knowing her husband did his part.

Lois scoops Lara into her arms and they watch the rapidly fading outline of Clark as he begins his journey towards the Arctic. One could scarcely imagine what might be left of the Fortress, but Lois had not been there in years so she did not want to wonder about its current state. This mother looks to the future, which happens to be nestling in her arms. She believes Clark and the others would everything in their power to ensure that the world Lara grows up in would be one she could be proud of.

* * *

**Watchers Tower - Bio Labs**

After talking with Clark, Palmer summons Kara to his laboratory. He tells her about having Clark go to the Fortress of Solitude to consult with the medical archives from the orb he was able to save from the destruction of Brainiac's vessel over a decade earlier. Kara had not been present for those events and Clark rarely spoke of certain enemies even after she got her first taste of the Furies led by Lashina. She also had been slow to forgive Clark and the others for what they did as the Justice Lords. However after all that went on following his return from that other reality – she found herself seeing more of his old self in him, there is still good in him.

They still had much to do so she joins the teams scouring the globe to find all those carrying the disease as to affect quarantine yet despite destroying virtually all the missiles, the disease is spreading with a vengeance across several continents.

Kara heads out and passes Barda on the way to the teleporter station down the hall from the labs.

* * *

**Watchers Tower - Monitor Hub**

"You and I are likely to still be persona non grata on New Genesis."

"I won't have you face your people alone. This is my battle too."

Scott at times couldn't fathom what she sees in him because he thought she would have gone for someone like Orion, but then he never knew that she had seen how he withstood Granny's attempts to break him years ago. At first she would say she admires his resilience yet later when he finally broke out, she had her doubts about being a part of the Furies, but she found peace until she found him again. Love set her free.

Barda and Scott Free are journeying to New Genesis though even they fear it is in vain for them to being going 'home'. Highfather and Darkseid have been enemies since before Scott was born and Scott could not easily forget that he took Orion's place as Darkseid's 'son'. Orion likewise took many years to come to terms with being the actual son of Darkseid. They were united in their opposition to Darkseid's designs. It was they who finally convinced Highfather to intervene on Earth's behalf during Darkseid's third attempt to invade then occupy Earth. It was also they who continue to oppose Darkseid because with the disappearance of the Justice Lords, Darkseid saw opportunity anew.

However the Justice Lords' action made Highfather reconsider the protection he had given Earth at the behest of his son and his enemy's son, which is why Darkseid made another play against Earth and why the Frees chose to relocate to Earth to stop him. Even in the absence of Superman, they still had enough heroes and heroines on hand. The casualties and the damages were fewer than they could have been if not for the Frees' advance warning. Earth's governments however were never told who gave this information to them yet on the surface it was attributed to a physicist named Ray Palmer.

Palmer spent years studying boom tube technology and claim to have made advances that would allow them to detect boom tube portals before they open. The origins of the sensors that could track incoming and outgoing boom tube portals actually had come from technology 'borrowed' by Scott Free who went to great lengths to obtain the necessary means to duplicate all of it for Earth's sake. Orion takes the fall for the Frees when Highfather learns of their disappearance and the missing technology. Scott could scarcely imagine how Orion might feel after all this time and how Highfather would react to their return.

Unofficially they are no longer wanted or welcomed by the people of New Genesis despite their intentions several years prior, but no avenue can be left unexplored during this crisis. Scott knew sooner or later they would have to own up to what they did and as for Barda she will face it with him.

* * *

A/N 1: Much happens rather quickly and this story overall has seen its share of dramatic shifts as the plot went forward. However I put this story aside when I turned most of my energies to Tangents and In The Shadows. However I intend to complete this story this year.

A/N 2: The unleashed disease/pathogen is much worse than the one used by Aresia in the League reality.

A/N 3: Many supporting characters make the scene in short order. As for the Frees ever since Ties That Bind, I have had an affection for these two. Barda conveys much without words towards Scott in that episode. In this reality, much remains the same for them except why they are on Earth.

A/N 4: With both Bruce and Diana down for the count, Palmer turns to Clark for help and so Clark returns once more to help his friends.

A/N 5: As for the whole cryo-stasis plot device, the idea really came from a Trek novel.


End file.
